‘Donald Duck’ could hold my Dáil seat, says McDaid

FIANNA Fáil TD Jim McDaid yesterday said “Donald Duck” could win a Dáil seat if based in his stronghold of Letterkenny.

Mr McDaid was responding to a leaked party poll which suggested he was in danger of losing his seat in the Donegal North-East constituency.

The poll was carried out last February, four months after Mr McDaid had been convicted of drink driving.

The three-seat constituency will be one of the most bitterly contested at next year’s general election.

Mr McDaid and party colleague Cecilia Keaveney, hold two of the seats. The third is held by Independent Niall Blaney, who ended a 35-year family rift with the party last week by agreeing to join the party.

Fianna Fáil HQ believed Mr Blaney represented the party’s best hope of holding onto a second seat given Mr McDaid’s announcement he would be stepping down.

Mr McDaid reversed that decision last week in protest at the way Mr Blaney was brought into the party fold.

Mr McDaid said the move had been made against the wishes of the local party.

“There’s an awful lot of anger and they just want to get out there and support a candidate of their own and that’s what I’m giving them,” Mr McDaid said last week.

He told yesterday’s The Sunday Times: “I think Niall is going to lose a seat.

“Letterkenny...will rally around any candidate from the town. Donald Duck could win a seat if he was based in Letterkenny next time out. It has 17% of the population in the constituency.”

Frank McBrearty Jnr, one of the central victims of garda misconduct in Donegal, is also considering standing in the constituency.