Ex-minister hopes to win council seat

A former Fianna Fáil junior minister who lost his seat at the last general election is hoping to be elected to Cork County Council.

FF members have chosen Michael Ahern to contest the local elections on May 23 in the hope of getting a council seat in the Cobh electoral area.

Mr Ahern decided to contest the last general election, even though he realised early on that he wasn’t going to retain the Dáil seat he’d held since Feb 1982.

Despite a lengthy political career, he’s never held a council seat. However, his brother, father, grandfather and granduncle were all member of the council. His father, Liam Ahern, and granduncle, John Dineen, also served as TDs.

Michael Ahern served as a junior minister on three occasions. He was minister for science and technology (1992-1994), minister for trade and commerce (2002-2007) and minister for innovation policy (2007-2008).

He was selected by party members to contest a council seat at a meeting held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island last Monday — which happened to be his 65th birthday.

The Cobh constituency has been expanded for this year’s elections. It now takes in Cobh, Carrigtwohill, Knockraha, Little Island, Glanmire, Glenville, Carrignavar and Rathpeacon. “I think we [FF] have a very good chance of taking two of the seven seats on offer in that constituency,” he said.

Fianna Fáil has 12 seats on Cork County Council and Mr Ahern expects them toincrease that number post May 23.