THE HEALY RAE family are a clan to be reckoned with. The Co Kerry family have not one one but two TDs and recently saw three more family members elected to Kerry County Council.

The family political dynasty was kicked off by patriarch Jackie Healy Rae, who after many years working with Fianna Fáil – including as the party’s director of elections in Kerry – went independent and got elected to the Dáil in 1997. 

That begin a long tradition of Healy Rae family members entering politics as independents. Clearly, they’re doing something right – and their supporters want to see more of them in local and national politics. 

But why are they so popular, and what makes them so beloved in Co Kerry? That’s what we’re looking at in this week’s episode of The Explainer. Presenter Sinéad O’Carroll is joined by reporter Rónan Duffy, columnist and former Irish Independent editor Gerry O’Regan, and author Donal Hickey to discuss what makes the Healy Raes so successful. 

The Explainer / SoundCloud

This episode was put together by presenter Sinéad O’Carroll, executive producer Christine Bohan, producer Aoife Barry, assistant producer/technical operator Andrew Roberts, and featured reporter Rónán Duffy, Gerry O’Regan and Donal Hickey. Design by Palash Somani.