Eve Kelliher talks to Fianna Fail press director, Olivia Buckley, who says her time with Kerry Group was great preparation for her new role with the main government party.

THE first Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis held outside Dublin not only transported the woman at the nucleus of the operation from party headquarters to Kerry but it also brought her on a trip down memory lane.

At the centre of the action, Olivia Buckley, the party’s press director, spotted countless familiar faces when she landed in Killarney. Olivia left Kerry in January after nearly three years in the county as one of the driving forces in Kerry Group’s corporate affairs department.

And after the preparations that went into the 67th Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, which took place at Ireland’s National Event Centre at the Gleneagle Hotel at the weekend, the press director paid tribute to the hospitality shown by everyone involved in the event as crucial to its success. “The general hospitality shown by the people of Killarney, as well as Kerry Airport and the local transport services was wonderful,” she told The Kingdom.

“It was a big logistical undertaking to bring the Fianna Fáil headquarters and press office out of Dublin. We had 110 accredited media people, journalists, camera people and sound engineers, to facilitate. The task that lay ahead of us was certainly made easier by the reception we got. “I think it’s an indication of why Killarney is successful as a tourist area and in providing services and the people of the town deserve every success they get,” said Olivia.

As press director, the Ferbane, Co Offaly, native heads up an office of eight, including three press officers, an administrator and three research officers. Thriving on the challenge, she says her background with Kerry Group, as well as her previous post in the IFA press office, helped hone her skills in media relations. “My experience with Kerry Group was of enormous benefit to me. I was very fortunate to work with a company with such high standards as Kerry Group and the approach they took with everything they did allowed me to move onto an organisation with similar workloads and challenges,” says Olivia.

Entering the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney brought the press director back to wellknown ground, as during her time in the county, Kerry Group often joined forces with the hotel in sponsorship of various events.

“I had involvement with Patrick O’Donoghue and the O’Donoghue family before which made the task of working on the Ard Fheis much easier. I knew the vicinity and the people. The INEC is a huge, huge success - I can’t praise highly enough the INEC staff and the O’Donoghue family who pulled out all the stops to make the event a success,” she says.

A marketing graduate, Olivia enjoyed a stint in local radio, specialising in news and current affairs, before moving into the realm of media relations. She thoroughly enjoyed living in Kerry, where she was based in Tralee.

“Kerry was a big change for me. I think if you’re going to live in an area outside the city, Kerry is one of the nicest, richest parts of the country you can find yourself in, because of its beauty and the outdoors. “I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the space. While it is a huge tourist area, by and large when you compare it to places like the overdeveloped Mediterranean coastline, you realise how unspoiled Kerry is and appreciate the space and privacy, particularly in Listowel and North Kerry.”

Holding the gathering of the party faithful in Kerry was part of the party’s strategy to underline the fact that it is a national organisation. “While it is headquartered in Dublin it’s a national organisation and we feel we have to bring events to the regions. Minister John O’Donoghue was instrumental in bringing the Ard Fheis to Kerry - he put forward a very good case for Killarney. It’s a tribute to Killarney - the INEC is probably the only purpose-built facility that could host an event of that size outside Dublin,” says the press officer.

Indeed, the Ard Fheis brought a whopping 5,000 delegates and 100 TDs and senators to the town. “I hope by having the Ard Fheis in Killarney there will be some long-term benefits for the town and the INEC. We’ve highlighted the fact that we can bring events outside of Dublin and people have been saying it’s been one of the most successful events ever.”

No stranger to the notion that Dublin is not the only mecca offering quality services, Olivia adds: “Denis Brosnan of Kerry Group proved you can run highly successful services outside of the capital. Kerry is more aware of its assets and has fantastic services, for example the airline Aer Arann Express, to make these things possible.”