Seanad candidates nominated

A number of former TDs who lost their Dáil seats are among 42 candidates for the Seanad election who have received nominations from Oireachtas members.

Former Fianna Fáil TDs Margaret Conlon of Cavan-Monaghan and Eamon Scanlon of Sligo-North Leitrim succeeded in getting nominations to the Seanad despite not being on the official party list of 10 candidates Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has asked voters to give their highest preferences to.

The list of 42 candidates was released this afternoon, following the noon deadline for closure of nominations. Each candidate needs the nomination of four Oireachtas members - incoming TDs and outgoing senators - to stand for election.

Former Fine Gael TDs Deirdre Clune (Cork South-Central), Michael D'Arcy (Wexford) and Tom Sheahan (Kerry South) who were surprise losers to party colleagues in the Dáil election, have been nominated as candidates.

Former TD for Meath East Thomas Byrne, one of Mr Martin's chosen candidates, has been nominated as has Senator Darragh O'Brien (Dublin North) who, after he lost his Dáil seat in the February election, was appointed a senator by former taoiseach Brian Cowen in his last days in office.

The party's spokeswoman on political reform, Averil Power, a Dáil candidate in Dublin North East is nominated to the Industrial and Commercial panel while Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick, the Fianna Fail Dublin Central Dáil candidate has been nominated to the Administrative panel and Louth Senator James Carroll was nominated to the Agriculture panel.

Outgoing senator Martin Brady, who was not on the official Fianna Fáil list also succeeded in getting a nomination from Independent TDs South Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South), Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South) and Fianna Fáil senators Mary White and Ivor Callely. Fianna Fail senator Diarmuid Wilson also succeeded in getting himself nominated.

Green Party senator and party chairman Dan Boyle who failed to win back the Cork South-Central Dail seat he lost in 2007 is also among the candidates.

Labour TDs have nominated six party candidates including Sligo-North Leitrim Dail candidate Susan O'Keeffe and John Whelan from Portlaoise, both journalists.

Sinn Féin has nominated three candidates Galway West Dail candidate Trevor O Clochartaigh, Kathryn Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan) and David Cullinane (Waterford).

Independent TDs have nominated two candidates for the Seanad election. Francis Donnelly a businessman and accountant from Kilcullen, Co Kildare, was nominated by independent TDs Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow-East Carlow) Shane Ross (Dublin South), Thomas Pringle (Donegal South-West) and Mick Wallace (Wexford).

Sean Lyons from Blanchardstown, Dublin, a former Dublin and Fingal county councillor, was nominated by Independent TDs Finian McGrath (Dublin North-Central), Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central), and Independent Senators Joe O'Toole and Ronan Mullen.

Independent TDs had held a number of meetings to discuss the possibility of electing independent senators to the Upper House. Independent senators have only ever been elected to the university panels and not to the five panels elected by members of the outgoing Seanad, incoming Dáil and city and county councillors - an electorate of about 1,000. Mr McGrath said: "There's a glorious opportunity for Independents to put independent senators into the Seanad."