O’Donoghue: Footballers not running for FF

Former ceann comhairle John O’Donoghue has dismissed reports that Kerry footballers are being targeted as candidates to run for Fianna Fáil in the new five-seater Kerry constituency.

Speculation in the last week suggested the former footballer and sports columnist Darragh Ó Sé is being courted by the party to run as a candidate in the new constituency.

However, speaking on Radio Kerry over the weekend, Mr O’Donoghue, who has been close to the Ó Sé family, said “no such approaches” had been made, as far as he is concerned.

“I can’t think of a period in the history of Fianna Fáil when a Kerry footballer has not been rumoured to have been approached,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

Some years ago Mr Ó Sé’s footballing uncle Páidi was rumoured to be running for Fianna Fáil in the European elections.

He was appointed to the board of Bord Fáilte by the then minister Mr O’Donoghue in 2002.

A crunch meeting of Fianna Fáil in Tralee this weekend saw Mr O’Donoghue elected as public relations officer of the Fianna Fáil comhairle ceantair (district executive) for the Kerry constituency.

He recently confirmed that he fully intends to seek to regain his Dáil seat.

The weekend meeting also saw strong support for the former TD Tom McEllistrim whose people took a number of officer positions.

The outcome increases the likelihood that the party will run two candidates in the next general elections and that both former TDs will be in the running.

Kerry is to become a five-seater in the next general election and the weekend comhairle ceantair meeting brought together the former Kerry North-West Limerick and Kerry South constituencies for the first time. The meeting on control of the organisation, which will oversee the constituency for the next council and Dáil elections, drew a crowd of over 300.

Agreements hammered out in recent weeks had indicated that control of the comhairle ceantair would lie between supporters of the Listowel area councillor John Brassil and Mr O’Donoghue.

However, Mr McEllistrim’s supporters turned out in force to upset this plans. Mr McEllistrim, a third generation politician who styles himself as “Young Tommy Mac”, has already begun door to door canvassing for the next Dáil elections in the south Kerry area, despite not having the official nomination.

Up to five current and former party members are being spoken about as keen to contest a seat in the next Dáil election for Fianna Fáil.