Runners and riders in race for Dáil

THE runners and riders for the race to be a member of the 30th Dáil have been finalised.

At midday yesterday city sheriff Martin Harvey and his counterpart for the county, Michael O’Driscoll, closed the book on nominations of candidates.

The 51 people registered still have until midday today if second thoughts set in.

Each bringing their own personality to the party the mix blends orthodox with extreme as shown by independent Stephen Saleh’s “Lame Duck” posters depicting politicians as rubber ducks.

It is first time in a long time the tickets do not include the likes of Dan Wallace and Joe Walsh.

The legacy of another political heavyweight is visible though.

Ciarán Lynch has clearly earned the approval of the last Labour Party man to hold a seat in Cork South Central.

He got former Junior Minister for Tourism Toddy O’Sullivan to officially propose him for election.

Across the board there is a poor show in the gender equality stakes with only five female candidates throwing their hat in the ring.

In two constituencies they will be scrapping for votes with representatives from the Father’s Rights Party which is vowing to end gender bias from the opposite direction.

If in government it will set up the office of Minister for Men.

It had intended running Sean O’Rinn in Cork South West but the FRP was not recognised as an official party in time. It is blaming the National Registrar for Political Parties for its candidates having to stump up a €500 deposit to stand.

Its ticket does include chartered engineer Niall Brennan from Donabate, County Dublin who was parachuted in the battle for the north side of Cork city.

He will be up against sheet-metal worker Ted Tynan who is making his seventh attempt on Leinster House under the Workers’ Party banner.

Dave McCarthy is the high-profile independent in this area along with John McCarthy who will be hoping his campaign floats better than his partially-sunken publicity raft in the middle of the Lee.

County Sheriff Mr O’Driscoll said all candidates listed as independents will lose their deposits unless they pull in 5,000 votes.

“You either can be nominated by 30 people registered to vote in the constituency on the day of election or you submit a deposit for €500,” he said.

Ringaskiddy man Maurice Fitzgerald and Gerard Linehan, from Ovens, join Morgan Stack on the list of non-party hopefuls.

Ted Neville is also competing here on the Immigration Control Platform.

Both Cork South West and North West are free of independents unlike in the East of the county where John Cronin

Cork East is the only one of the county areas to attract interest from the outside the spectrum with John Cronin and Christy Carr running.