The Seanad has heard that a man who admitted to voting using someone else’s polling card last year, is an employee of the Healy-Rae Plant Hire company.
29-year-old David Moriarty of Kilmackerin, Cahersiveen, pleaded guilty to fraudulently putting in a ballot box, a paper other than he was authorised by law to put in, at a polling booth in Kenmare during last year’s local and European elections.
He avoided a conviction and was ordered to pay €1,000 to charity, but it emerged gardaí had not asked him who told him to do this, or who gave him the polling card.
Senator Mike Kennelly told the Seanad that Mr Moriarty works for Healy-Rae Plant Hire Ltd, formerly run by Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, now owned and operated by his son Johnny, an independent councillor.
There is no suggestion that Healy-Rae Plant Hire was aware of this.
Danny Healy-Rae and Johnny Healy-Rae have been contacted for comment.
Senator Kennelly also asked for an update on a separate case from 2019 on alleged voter irregularities in Kerry prior to that year’s local and European elections.
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Christopher O’Sullivan, told the Seanad he could not comment on individual cases.
