Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen to contest European elections in Midlands North-West

Mr Cowen, a former agriculture minister, is now one step closer to becoming an MEP.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen has been selected as the party’s candidate for Midlands North West for this year’s European elections.

Mr Cowen won by a narrow margin of just 70 votes out of 2,267 cast with Mr Blaney in second position and Ms Chambers coming third.

Voting took place for party members across four polling stations in Galway, Sligo, Meath and Mullingar, with the selection convention held in the Mullingar Park Hotel tonight.

Fianna Fáil Senators Lisa Chambers and Niall Blaney were hoping to be selected as the party’s candidate but Mr Cowen came out on top.

However, Fianna Fáil sources have indicated the party will add a second name to the ticket closer to the elections in June. Sources have said it will likely be Ms Chambers.

Ireland will get an extra MEP after the elections in the summer after a review of constituencies recommended it be allocated to Midlands North West with the boundaries redrawn to include counties Laois and Offaly. The Fianna Fáil party currently has no European Parliament seat in the now five seat constituency.

Mr Cowen, a former agriculture minister, is now one step closer to becoming an MEP. If elected to Europe in June, it would see the end of five decades of Cowens representing the Laois-Offaly constituency in the Dáil following his brother and former Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his late father Ber Cowen who was first elected in 1969.

Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen &  Dara Calleary during a Government Cabinet meeting at Dublin Castle.

It would also trigger a by-election if Mr Cowen was elected an MEP.

The current MEPs in the Midlands North West constituency are Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Sinn Fein’s Chris McManus, Fine Gael’s Maria Walsh and Colm Markey. Mr Markey replaced Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness as MEP when she was appointed European Commissioner. Ms McGuinness has confirmed that she will not contest the next European election. 

Last month sitting Dublin MEP Barry Andrews and Cork MEP Billy Kelleher were selected to run for the party in the Dublin and Ireland South constituencies respectively.

Speaking following his selection, Barry Cowen TD said: “It is a great honour and privilege, and I’m most delighted, to be endorsed by this organisation to fight to win back a seat that has been out of this constituency for too long.

“We will work as hard as we possibly can to ensure Fianna Fáil wins back a seat in the Midlands-North-West. I’m delighted that party members have seen fit to endorse me.” 

 “In the coming weeks and months we will make a huge effort to take the seat. It will be the precursor possibly for a general election in the autumn or next spring. It is imperative we create the sort of momentum that will allow us to be in a position to make an impact, to make a mark, locally, nationally and in Europe.”