- Thomas Gildea
Thomas Gildea (born September 1939) is a former Irish TD, who was elected as an independent candidate in the 1997 general election.
A farmer representing Donegal South West, he won popular local support for his campaign to legalise 'deflectors' which retransmitted British
television channels in rural areas, but which had been shut down in the wake of legal action by cable andMMDS operators. (There had been notable single issue 'deflector' candidates in previous general elections elsewhere in the country — the 1992 general election had Liam Hurley of South Coast Community TV standing in the Cork South Central constituency, whilst Dermot Kirwan representing Waterford deflector groups ran in Waterford for the 1997 General Election.)Gildea did not stand for election in the 2002 general election but went on to become Chairman of the National Community Television Association.
In the June 1999 local elections, he was elected as a member of
Donegal County Council , forGlenties . He did not contest the 2004 local elections.External links
* [http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/0219/gildea.html RTE News - Poll predicts Gildea will lose seat]
* http://www.ireland.com/focus/election_2002/biogs/gildea_tom.htm
* [http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=4250 Thomas Gildea's electoral history] (ElectionsIreland.org)
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