Fitzpatrick gets backing of Fianna Fáil for European elections

Fianna Fáil has agreed to back its leader on Dublin City Council to win a seat in May’s European elections after the female councillor confidently secured victory at a party selection convention last night.

Councillor Mary Fitzpatrick won the backing as party leader Micheál Martin admitted he was unhappy with the low number of female candidates going forward for election at local level.

Ms Fitzpatrick won 362 of the votes, ahead of Tiernan Brady, director of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, who received 208, and former senator Geraldine Feeney, who got 140 votes.