Donohoe intervenes to quell ‘bullying’ row

Fine Gael party leadership had to intervene to quell a candidate selection row in Cork South-West.

A party meeting drew a line under a debate between two candidates wanting a spot on the ticket after Jim Daly’s retirement.

Mr Daly announced last September that he would not run again, leaving Senator Tim Lombard as the sole candidate.

In December, councillor and Skibbereen native Karen Coakley was added to the ticket in Cork South-West by the Fine Gael executive council.

However, this prompted outrage from some members in the Clonakilty branch of Fine Gael, who had backed Noel O’Donovan, a former councillor who resigned his seat on Cork County Council in December 2016 to join An Garda Síochána.

That frustration boiled over in recent weeks, resulting in more than 500 party members signing a petition calling for Mr O’Donovan to be added to the ticket.

The row escalated to the point that Ms Coakley told The Southern Star that she felt she had been “bullied” in an attempt to make her withdraw her name.

“It’s as if they are hoping I will cave in and withdraw my name, but I am not going to be bullied. I am going to stand up to them,” she said.

It prompted Paschal Donohoe, Fine Gael’s director of elections, to intervene. He told members that no additional candidates will be added.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Lombard would not be drawn on the row, but said Ms Coakley was “selected by the Taoiseach” and it is important for the party to move forward and focus on securing two seats in the competitive three-seater.

They will be vying with Michael Collins (Independent) and Margaret Murphy-O’Mahony (Fianna Fáil), both of whom will be keen to retain their seats. Also running are Mairéad Ruane (Aontú) and councillors Christopher O’Sullivan (Fianna Fáil), Paul Hayes (Sinn Féin), and Holly Cairns (Social Democrats).