Aine Brady has been tonight selected as Fianna Fáil’s candidate to contest the Kildare North by-election.

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern rolled out the heavy hitters yesterday by charging Brian Cowen and Willie O’Dea with the task of holding on to the Fianna Fáil seat vacated by Charlie McCreevy.

IN a foreword he wrote to a book of mine a few years ago, the late Fine Gael TD Jim Mitchell argued that Dáil vacancies should be filled by co-options rather than through by-elections.