McDonald: TV performance was Gallagher's undoing

Independent candidate Seán Gallagher's poor showing in the polls is widely being blamed on his performance during a TV debate last Monday night.

The debate on RTÉ's 'Frontline' programme saw Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness attack Mr Gallagher over his links to Fianna Fáil, and his involvement in collecting a €5,000 cheque as part of a FF fundraising effort.

Sinn Féin TD MaryLou McDonald today said this intervention is likely to have benefited Michael D Higgins more than her candidate, but 'that's politics'

"That's the nature of campaigns like this and it's the nature of politics," Deputy McDonald said.

"You are asked the questions and you have to answer the questions - whether you think the questions are fair or legitimate or not is almost a detail.

"The people expect when you are running to be the first citizen, that you can answer those questions.

"And Mr Gallagher failed that test."

Meanwhile Longford Westmeath Fine Gael TD James Bannon has criticised the party's selection process.

He told Midlands 103 radio that Gay Mitchell was the wrong candidate for the party to run.

"Mairead McGuinness was my first choice," he said.

"And I believe that she would have skated home for Fine Gael if she was the candidate today."