FG to decide on candidate for role of mayor

THE largest party on the largest local authority in Ireland is set to meet today to hammer out who will lead it and who will be its candidate for mayor.

Fine Gael is set to court Independents to ensure it has enough support to win control of the 48-seater Cork County Council.

The party won 22 seats at the local elections and can already count on the support of long-standing Independent Noel Collins. It needs just two more allies to achieve its goal.

Its most obvious target would be an alliance with Labour, who have increased their representation from five to seven.

However, relations between FG and Labour have been strained in recent years and it would seem more likely that Fine Gael will turn to the Independents.

Timmy Collins, who was elected in Kanturk as an Independent, is a former member of Fine Gael and is therefore a likely target for talks. It is also believed that Declan Hurley, from Dunmanway, will be spoken to as well as David Boyle, who won the last seat in the Carrigaline electoral area.

Michael Hegarty, who is currently leader of the party on the council, is expected to be re-elected to the post.

The 48-year-old from Ladysbridge is the longest serving Fine Gael councillor in County Cork having been first elected in 1985.

“We will meet to elect a group leader and secretary and then decide on who we will talk to,” Cllr Hegarty said. He said it was likely that a number of candidates would seek to get the nomination for mayor.

Among them are expected to be Derry Canty (Ballincollig), Tim Lombard (Minane Bridge) and Noel O’Connor (Mallow).

It is also being speculated that Deirdre Forde may throw her hat in the ring. She defected from Fianna Fáil after that party put Micheál Martin’s twin brother, Padraig, on the ticket for the Carrigaline electoral area. Forde saw that as an attempt by the Martins to enhance their political dynasty at her expense and she jumped ship.

She narrowly missed out on topping the poll while Martin failed to get elected.