Healy-Rae won TV show after thousands of calls from the Dáil: report

The Irish Daily Mail reports that Michael Healy-Rae won a celebrity television show back in 2007 after calls from the Dáil which cost the taxpayer over €2,500.

By Hugh O'Connell Tuesday 28 Jun 2011, 12:35 AM

Jun 28th 2011, 12:35 AM 9,270 Views 86 Comments

https://jrnl.ie/164750

Jackie Healy-Rae (L) and his son Michael (File photo)

Image: Photocall Ireland

Jackie Healy-Rae (L) and his son Michael (File photo)

Image: Photocall Ireland

INDEPENDENT TD MICHAEL Healy-Rae won a celebrity television competition after winning over 3,500 votes that were generated from an Oireachtas phone in 2007, it has emerged.

In an exclusive in today’s Irish Daily Mail, Senan Molony reports that the then Kerry county councillor won the ‘Celebrities Go Wild’ competition in October 2007 with a total of 3,636 calls coming from inside Leinster House, from the phone of an elected member.

The taxpayer ended up paying the €2,639 bill for the premium line calls to the number that was needed to vote specifically for Healy-Rae whose father Jackie Healy-Rae was a member of the Dáil at the time. Neither of the two Kerrymen are able to explain the calls, the paper reports.

Read: Michael Healy-Rae: ‘I knew nothing about it’ >

Short URL

About the author:

About the author

Hugh O'Connell

@oconnellhugh

hugh@thejournal.ie

See more articles by Hugh O'Connell

Contribute to this story:

Send a Correction

COMMENTS (86)

∞

About Us

Corrections

Report Content

Policies

TheJournal.ie supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie

Please note that TheJournal.ie uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising. For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies policy.

News images provided by Press Association and Photocall Ireland unless otherwise stated. Irish sport images provided by Inpho Photography unless otherwise stated. Wire service provided by Associated Press.

Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, submissions or preferences. Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, posts, comments and submissions available. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Healy-Rae won TV show after thousands of calls from the Dáil: report

The Irish Daily Mail reports that Michael Healy-Rae won a celebrity television show back in 2007 after calls from the Dáil which cost the taxpayer over €2,500.

Read more in today’s Irish Daily Mail >