Micheál Martin’s assistant added to Fianna Fáil local election ticket

Fianna Fáil has moved to quell internal rumblings after party leader Micheál Martin’s parliamentary assistant was unveiled as a local election candidate.

Mary Rose Desmond, who works in Mr Martin’s constituency office in Turner’s Cross, Cork, was added to the ticket over the weekend. The decision has infuriated some members of the party in Cork, coming in the wake of the addition of Mr Martin’s niece, Kate, to the ticket to contest a city council ward. His brother, Seán, is running to retain his city council seat.

“People are now calling it the ‘Micheál Martin party’ rather than the Fianna Fáil party. Nobody seemed to have any idea of this latest move,” one member said.