FF TD to appear in court over drink driving

A FIANNA FÁIL TD is set to appear in the District Court after the results of a drink-driving test proved positive.

Deputy Christy O’Sullivan, 59, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving on the June bank holiday Monday last.

After attending races at Leap, Co Cork, Mr O’Sullivan was on his way home when at about 8.30pm he was stopped by gardaí operating a routine checkpoint. The checkpoint was mounted near his home town of Clonakilty.

He was subsequently found to be over the legal drink-driving limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Mr O’Sullivan said at the time that he was deeply sorry and embarrassed by the incident, but believed people living in his Cork South-West constituency would understand.

Mr O’Sullivan was elected to the Dáil for the first time in May 2007. He had first been elected as a public representative in 1999 when he joined Cork County Council as an independent.

He only joined Fianna Fáil just prior to the last general election, which caused controversy among some of the party’s grassroots traditionalists who demanded that Councillor Alan Coleman be put on the ticket with sitting TD Denis O’Donovan.

Cllr Coleman was the FF leader on Cork County Council. FF party headquarters overruled objections and Mr O’Sullivan was elected to the Dáil. However, his running mate, Denis O’Donovan lost his seat.

Mr O’Sullivan resigned from Cork County Council under the terms of the dual mandate.