Labour seeks to reclaim party stronghold

Labour takes another step in forming the next government today when it recruits a new candidate to reclaim a traditional party stronghold.

Party leader Pat Rabbitte will hope that South Tipperary’s Cllr Phil Prendergast can win back the Michael Ferris seat, which he held from 1989 until his sudden death in March 2000.

Cllr Prendergast left the local Workers Unemployed Action Group earlier this year after she clashed with the party’s leader and sole TD, Seamus Healy.

Mr Healy’s opposition to a Fine Gael Dáil motion condemning the killers of Belfast man Robert McCartney sparked her exit.

A strong poll performer in South Tipperary, she dramatically beat the Fianna Fáil candidate to finish runner-up in the 2001 by-election won by Tom Hayes of Fine Gael.

The 45-year-old midwife, who served as Mayor of Clonmel last year, is a strong campaigner on health services in the constituency.

A Labour party statement said Cllr Prendergast “has a significant record of achievement in public life and secured an impressive vote” in the 2001 by-election.

Mr Rabbitte will be hoping that Cllr Prendergast can boost his 21 seats in order to form a credible alternative government with Fine Gael after the next general election.

He won backing at his party conference last month to enter into an electoral pact with Fine Gael.

However he suffered a setback this week when Dublin North TD Sean Ryan announced that he was not seeking re-election.

In a similar bid to increase Fine Gael’s Dáil representation of 31 TDs, leader Enda Kenny recently unveiled O’Brien’s Irish Sandwich bars boss Brody Sweeney as the party’s proposed candidate in Dublin North East constituency.