O’Donoghue vows to seek party nomination and face voters again

FORMER ceann comhairle and Kerry South TD, John O’Donoghue, will again seek the nomination to run for Fianna Fáil in the forthcoming general election and said he was keeping a promise he made when “forced out of office” as ceann comhairle.

Fianna Fáil is likely to run just one candidate, in the constituency — Mr O’Donoghue — senior party sources have confirmed.

Mr O’Donoghue resigned as ceann comhairle in October 2009, following publication of his expenses as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and after a motion of no confidence in him was being prepared by the Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.

Mr O’Donoghue has maintained his expenses were no different from other ministers and has been very bitter at what he regarded as the Labour leader’s pre-emptive strike against him.

There has been strong speculation in the Kerry — most of it from close political rivals of the former ceann comhairle — that Mr O’Donoghue was set to retire from politics, given he would be €30,000 a year better off on his pension.

Yesterday, Mr O’Donoghue, when asked if he was going to run in the election, said: “There is no doubt about it. When I was forced out of office, I said I would let the people of south Kerry decide my future.”

He was not walking away and he did not go into politics for money, he said.

Mr O’Donoghue confirmed he would be €30,000 annually better off were he to retire, but money was not the consideration.

In a surprise move, Sinn Féin are considering whether to run Cllr Toireasa Ferris, daughter of north Kerry TD Martin Ferris, in the south of the county.

Labour have selected Cllr Marie Moloney and a decision was being made last night on whether to select a running mate for sitting Fine Gael TD Tom Sheahan.

Independent councillor Michael Healy-Rae is set to run instead of his father.