Election boost for Labour as Moynihan Cronin runs

THE Labour party received a welcome boost, at the weekend, with the decision of sitting Labour TD in Kerry South, Breda Moynihan Cronin, to contest the next general election.

Last October, she announced she would be retiring from public life after the next election, due to ill-health, but she has changed her mind.

‘‘In recent times, I have returned to full health and am happy to say that I feel fit and well. My health is back 110 per cent,’’ she said.

Ms Moynihan Cronin had been under pressure for some time to contest the next election, as the party had nobody else in Kerry South regarded as capable of retaining the seat.

‘‘I’m fighting fit and ready for the challenge,’’ she told a weekend news conference in Killarney.

While her announcement is good news for Labour, it came as a bombshell to Fine Gael which had been confident of winning a seat in Kerry South in her absence.

Fine Gael’s two candidates for the next election Cllr Seamus Fitzgerald and Cllr Tom Sheahan already have their campaigns underway.

But, with Ms Moynihan Cronin back in the field, the scene is set for a battle between FG and Labour, as most pundits agree both parties can’t win seats in the constituency.

Mr Pat Rabbitte said both Fine Gael and Labour would be transferring votes to each other in the constituency, but they would also be ‘competing fiercely’ for votes.