FF adds McGrath to election ticket

FIANNA FÁIL has added county councillor Michael McGrath to the party’s ticket in the Cork South-Central constituency for the next general election.

The decision to add Cllr McGrath was taken by the party’s headquarters after it directed that only two candidates be selected at last month’s convention.

Cllr McGrath, who is based in Carrigaline, will join John Dennehy and the Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin on the ticket.

Fianna Fáil holds three seats in Cork South-Central but Junior Minister Batt O’Keeffe will stand in Cork North-West.

This follows the greater part of his Ballincollig base being moved to that constituency. It means that three sitting Fianna Fáil TDs will be standing in this three-seat constituency.

Fianna Fáil said that it was confident that it could hold its three seats in Cork South-Central.

However, Fine Gael will be hoping that it can regain the seat lost by Cllr Deirdre Clune in 2002. The party’s sole TD in the constituency, Simon Coveney, has not yet declared if he will stand in the election and relinquish his seat in the European parliament. The expectation is that Fine Gael will ask him to stand in order to maximise its chances.

Another Cork-based MEP, disability-rights campaigner Cathy Sinnott came very close to winning a seat in 2002. The Labour Party has also high hopes for its new candidate, Cllr Ciaran Lynch, a brother-in-law of Kathleen Lynch.

The constituency’s other TD is Dan Boyle.