In a highly charged meeting of the Guardians at Bruff, seven candidates vied for the position of Medical Officer to the Bruff Dispensary. However, a dispute arose regarding the eligibility of certain members to vote, leading to a heated exchange among attendees.

The meeting took a dramatic turn when Mr James S. Gaffney, a solicitor from Limerick, raised concerns about the potential penalties associated with voting without proper authority. According to Gaffney, individuals who had not attended board meetings for six consecutive months could incur a fine of £50 if they voted. However, Mr Hayes vehemently contradicted Gaffney, stating that his claims were untrue.

The debate intensified as Mr Harris questioned Gaffney’s affiliation, to which Gaffney revealed that he represented one of the candidates. Mr Geary, the solicitor to the board, confirmed the existence of a penalty for individuals voting without the required attendance and cited the relevant sections governing this matter. He emphasized that it was ultimately up to the members themselves to decide whether they would vote or not, with the chairman duty-bound to inform them of the potential fine.

Mr Fox, another solicitor present, argued that members should be notified of such facts before voting, implying that they could not be held liable if they were unaware of the penalties. The chairman intervened and stated that the board had been advised by their solicitor that individuals who had not attended for six months were not entitled to vote. However, Mr Geary countered that the chairman could not assume a judicial role but should accept the votes while publicly acknowledging the potential fines for those deemed ineligible.

After the chairman adhered to Geary’s advice, the election proceeded. Several candidates were proposed and seconded, including Dr Clery, Dr Hayes, Dr Hogan, Dr Madden, Dr Ryan, Dr Lloyd, and Dr Connolly. A poll was conducted, and the following votes were recorded:

For Dr Hayes: Messrs. Foley, Carroll (2), Coll (2), Connery, Dineen, Hayes (Patrick), O’Shea, Daly, Cronin, O’Connor, Cahill, Condon, Weldon, O’Flaherty, Kelly, and Russell – 18 votes.

For Dr Clery: Messrs. Clery (3), Treacy, O’Donnell, Casey, O’Brien, Heeney, J.G. Mee, A. McDonald, Prendergast, Murphy, and Mortell – 13 votes.

For Dr Hogan: Messrs. Harty, Hogan, P.H. Mudden, Meagher, and James Hayes – 5 votes.

For Dr Madden: Messrs. James Madden, Quinlan, Ryan, W. McDonald, Fitzpatrick, and Fitzgibbon – 6 votes.

For Dr Connolly: Messrs. Toomey, Meany, Kearney, and Hartigan – 4 votes.

For Dr Ryan: Messrs. M.J. Carroll, Lyons, Dunworth, Moran, Doherty, Canty, and Harris – 7 votes.

For Dr Lloyd: Messrs. O’Regan, Barry, Byrne, Moloney, Gilhooly, and Jones – 6 votes.

During subsequent rounds of voting, Dr Connolly, Dr Lloyd, and Dr Hogan withdrew their candidacies. The final poll yielded the following results:

For Dr Hayes: Foley, Carroll (2), Meany, Lyons, Coll (2), Quinlan, Connery, Dineen, Hayes, O’Shea, Fitzpatrick, Daly, Cronin, O’Connor, Russell, Cahill, Condon, Weldon, O’Flaherty, and Kelly – 22 votes.

For Dr Clery: Clery (3), Treacy, Toomey, O’Donnell, Dunworth, Heeney, Kearney, J. Madden, O’Dwyer, Mee, McDonald, Prendergast, Murphy, Mortell, and others (repeating previous votes) – 23 votes.

For Dr Hogan: Harty, Meagher, Barry, Hogan, P.H. Madden, Hartigan, Byrne, Gilhooly, Jones, Hayes, Fitzpatrick, and Fitzgerald – 12 votes.

For Dr Ryan: M.J. Carroll, Lyons, Dunworth, Moran, Doherty, McDonald, Canty, and Harris – 8 votes.

As Dr Connolly and Dr Lloyd had withdrawn, a final poll was conducted:

For Dr Hayes: O’Regan, Foley, Carroll (2), Meany, Quinlan, Ryan, Connery, Dineen, P. Hayes, O’Shea, Fitzpatrick, Daly, Cronin, O’Connor, Russell, Cahill, Condon, Weldon, O’Flaherty, and Kelly – 23 votes.

For Dr Clery: Clery (3), Treacy, O’Regan, M.J. Carroll, Casey, Toomey, O’Donnell, Dunworth, Heeney, Moran, Kearney, J. Madden, O’Dwyer, Mee, McDonald, Prendergast, Canty, Harris, Mortell, Murphy, Doherty, and others (repeating previous votes) – 23 votes.

For Dr Hogan: Harty, Meagher, Barry, Hogan, P.H. Madden, Hartigan, Byrne, Gilhooly, Jones, Hayes, Fitzpatrick, and Fitzgerald – 11 votes.

Dr Ryan did not vote during this round. With a tie between Dr Hayes and Dr Clery, and Dr Ryan’s abstention, the chairman declared Dr Clery elected as the Medical Officer for the Bruff Dispensary.

The contentious meeting concluded with Dr Clery’s victory, marking an end to a highly debated and closely contested election.

Limerick Echo – Tuesday 23 August 1904