Fianna Fáil stalwart Dan Kiely resigns

One of Kerry’s most colourful Fianna Fáil figures, Dan Kiely, 69, has resigned from the party.

The former senator and county councillor recently failed in his bid to be added to the FF ticket to contest the May local elections in the Listowel electoral area.

Though understood to be a disappointed, he said that he was saddened at having to take such a decision and would be outlining his reasons at a news conference in Tralee, Co Kerry, today .

He was an unsuccessful FF candidate in three general elections.

Mr Kiely said there were many reasons for his leaving the party, of which he has been a member since the early 1970s.

In 1972, he became chairman of his local Fianna Fáil cumann, in Tarbert, which was the start of his political career.

In 1981, he was elected to the Seanad, on the Labour panel, and also stood as an FF candidate the February 1982 general election, in the Kerry North constituency.

He was re-elected to the Seanad, in 1987, and held the seat until a further defeat in 2002.

He was also a member of Kerry County Council for the Listowel electoral area, but was defeated at the 2004 local elections.

He was co-opted to the council, in 2007, to the seat held by Cllr Ned O’Sullivan, who was elected to Seanad, but Mr Kiely failed to retain the seat in the 2009 local elections.