Stardust campaigner will contest general election for far-right National Party
Stardust campaigner Antoinette Keegan has confirmed that she will contest the general election for the far-right National Party.
Stardust campaigner Antoinette Keegan has confirmed that she will contest the general election for the far-right National Party.
Ms Keegan was pulled out of the blazing venue in February 1981 but lost her sisters Mary (19) and Martina (16) in the fire. She became a leading figure in the campaign for justice for the 48 people who died that night, culminating in April's verdict that all had been unlawfully killed, which was followed by a state apology and a redress scheme which is currently being provided for in the Finance Bill.
Ms Keegan will not however contest in her home constituency of Dublin Bay North, where anti-migrant campaigner Brian Garrigan is set to run. Mr Garrigan posted a video on X on Monday of the two in which Ms Keegan endorses Mr Garrigan and adds "Coolock says no", the slogan used in anti-immigrant protests in the Dublin town.
She will instead contest the Dublin Fingal East constituency on behalf of the National Party, which is part of the National Alliance, a coalition of three nationalist parties: Ireland First, the National Party, and the Irish People, as well as some Independents.
Ms Keegan said that she was standing to "highlight the decades-long struggle of the families affected by Stardust for the government to take responsibility and the unlawful killing of those 48 victims lost in the fire".
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“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
In a statement, she said that she is also committed to "implementing the National Party’s pro-Irish position particularly with regards to immigration policy". The party proposes an end to "mass immigration" as well as a repatriation of the Irish diaspora to "secure Ireland as the homeland for the Irish people".
The National Party last year found itself at the centre of a row over the location of a number of gold bars. Former leader Justin Barrett had posted a statement on X saying the gold had been taken from the party’s vault safe, without his knowledge, by senior party members.
In September, the Electoral Commission rejected an appeal which would have led to the name of the founder of the right-wing party Justin Barrett being removed as an authorised officer, upholding an earlier ruling by the Registrar of Political Parties against a case brought by James Reynolds, who in June announced his intention not to run for the party again because its brand is "toxic".
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has selected Maria McCormack as its candidate to contest the upcoming election in the Laois Constituency. Ms McCormack will seek to replace Brian Stanley, who abruptly left the party last month amid an internal investigation into a complaint made against him.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said that Ms McCormack is an outstanding candidate for Sinn Féin.
“Maria is an outstanding community activist who cares deeply about this county, its present and its future. She is a dedicated Irish Republican, and she will make a first class Teachta Dála for the people of Laois.
“Maria is a healthcare professional with years of experience, and a real passion for improving mental health services and youth services."
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