O’Donoghue EC contender

SPORTS and Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue has emerged as a second contender for Ireland’s next EU commissioner.

The front-runner until now has been Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh.

But Mr Walsh’s selection would lead to a by-election in Cork South-West and a likely Fianna Fáil defeat Fine Gael held two out of three seats there until the last general election when Fianna Fáil took a second.