Fine Gael hopes GAA hero will take its side

FINE Gael wants All-Ireland-winning football manager John O’Mahony to stand for the party in a bid to win a third seat in Mayo at the next general election.

The party believes he would be an ideal candidate to run alongside party leader Enda Kenny.

Fine Gael currently holds two of the five seats in the constituency.

But it believes it could win a third seat next time out with the right candidate, as Fianna Fáil, following the expulsion of Beverly Flynn, is still in disarray in the constituency.

Local party members believe Mr O'Mahony a Mayo native who led his county to the All-Ireland football final in 1989, before later winning the championship twice with Galway fits the bill.

They have approached him to contest the party's selection convention for the constituency, which is likely to take place next month.

A Fine Gael spokesman last night confirmed there had been "movement locally" towards recruiting Mr O'Mahony.

"He'd certainly be the ideal candidate," the spokesman added, but stressed that it was "in the melting pot".

Fine Gael has approached Mr O'Mahony before, but without success.

In 1999, the party envisaged the Ballaghaderreen-based teacher running alongside sitting MEP Joe McCartin in that year's European elections.

Then, as is apparently the case now, it was local party members who pushed the idea. They wrote to the then party leader, John Bruton, urging him to "arrange for the candidacy of Mr John O'Mahony".

Mr O'Mahony, who was managing Galway at the time, said he was "naturally honoured to have been approached" and that he had "not dismissed the suggestion".

But Mr O'Mahony ultimately declined, saying his football commitments were his priority.

However, he is now free of such commitments, having ended his involvement with Galway in August 2004. He subsequently began working for RTÉ and other outlets as an analyst.

Last year, he turned down the prospect of returning to manage Mayo for a second spell, and was also rumoured to have rejected jobs with other counties.

"I feel I'm not ready to go back at this stage and would like to take more time out, although I have had opportunities to get back involved," he told reporters.

"I'm not missing it as much. If I was, I'd jump at the opportunity to get back. But I feel close to the games through my media work and I don't really have the hunger to return to management."