Ceann comhairle: Meet the five contenders for the position in the 32nd Dáil
Maureen O Sullivan - Independent
A member of the late Tony Gregory’s campaign team for almost three decades, the Independent TD first took a Dáil seat in the 2009 Dublin Central byelection after her colleague’s death, retaining it in 2011 and last month.
The 65-year-old former teacher is respected across the political divide for her principled stance on social issues. However, she provoked criticism last year for describing gender quotas as “tokenistic”.
Andrew Doyle - Fine Gael
The 55-year-old Wicklow TD is one of two Fine Gael nominations, and won his seat in 2007 before retaining it in 2011 and last month.
Before the election, the family farmer was chair of the Oireachtas agriculture, food, and marine committee.
Bernard Durkan - Fine Gael
Bernard Durkan also won enough Fine Gael support to be put forward. The Mayo-born Kildare North TD is a former Fine Gael chief whip and served as a minister of state for social welfare during the 1994-1997 rainbow government.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl - Fianna Fáil
The 55-year-old Kildare South TD is Fianna Fáil’s current party whip and spokesperson on an eclectic portfolio of arts and culture, constitutional reform, and defence.
After failing to win a Dáil seat at the first four times of asking, Mr Ó Fearghaíl became a TD in 2002. He was formally selected by Fianna Fáil on Monday during a vote which saw Michael Moynihan, Brendan Smith, and Pat “The Cope” Gallagher lose out.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin - Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin’s 63-year-old long-time health spokesperson, a former bank official, was first elected for Cavan-Monaghan in 1997.
He was also Sinn Féin’s party leader in the Dáil until 2011, when Gerry Adams left Northern politics to run in Louth, and was a member of the party’s Good Friday Agreement negotiating team in 1998.
