FG urged to add third Clare candidate

FINE GAEL headquarters was yesterday urged to add a third candidate to its general election ticket in Clare “as soon as possible”.

Former TD Madeleine Taylor-Quinn yesterday made the call after the party selected sitting TDs Joe Carey and Pat Breen at the party’s convention at the Auburn Lodge Hotel in Ennis on Sunday.

Ms Taylor-Quinn and Cllr Martin Conway (FG) withdrew their names after a directive from party HQ that the convention select only two candidates.

The party secured the two seats in 2007 after Fine Gael’s contentious decision at the time to run four candidates with Cllr Tony Mulcahy and Ms Taylor-Quinn losing out.

Already, Labour has selected east Clare-based barrister Michael McNamara to run for the party in the four seat constituency.

Attention will now focus on what additional candidate Fine Gael HQ will select to join Deputies Breen and Carey, with Cllr Mulcahy and poll-topper in the last local elections, east Clare-based Cllr Joe Cooney, being tipped to be in the shake-up with Mr Conway and Ms Taylor-Quinn for the final name.

Ms Taylor-Quinn secured 6.37% of the first preferences and she said yesterday: “I have the ability and the experience that is required to meet the challenges in these unprecedented times. There is no TD representing the west of the county.”