Josepha Madigan expected to seek European election nomination as Fitzgerald retires

Minister of State Josepha Madigan is among the Fine Gael figures expected to seek the party’s nomination to run for Europe in next June’s parliament elections, The Irish Times has learned.

The party will choose its candidates for the European elections in the new year, with a contest likely for the nomination for the Dublin seat being vacated by the retiring Frances Fitzgerald.

Dublin Rathdown TD Ms Madigan is understood to be strongly considering a run and intends to seek the nomination.

A contest could see her pitched against former Cabinet colleague Regina Doherty, as well as several other members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party said to be considering seeking the nomination.

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Ms Madigan served in Cabinet for three years as Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and was appointed as Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion after the current Government was formed.

Alongside Ms Madigan and Ms Doherty, who is currently in the Seanad and had been expected to run in the next general election in the redrawn Fingal constituency, Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward and Dublin South West TD Colm Brophy are also said to be considering seeking the nomination in Dublin.

Former TDs Kate O’Connell and Noel Rock have also been linked with a run in Dublin.

The retirement of Deirdre Clune will also open up a nomination for Fine Gael, with Senators Tim Lombard and Jerry Buttimer considered among the potential nominees. Sources in the party believe Michael Creed, the former Cabinet minister who has indicated he will retire as a TD after the next general election, may come into the reckoning.

The election of any sitting TD would mean a Dáil byelection would have to be held before the end of 2024. The loss in a byelection of a seat previously held by a Government party, which tend to struggle in byelections, could eliminate the government’s on-paper majority in the Dáil.

While in reality it has a much larger effective majority and has enjoyed the support of TDs who formerly took the Government whip as well as groups of independents who have voted with the Coalition on key issues, the loss of a Government seat could present a headache in advance of a general election which must be held by March 2025.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told reporters on Friday that there is “huge interest” in running for the European elections.

“We have two vacancies, if you like, on the ticket, in Dublin and in Ireland South, and there is huge interest in it, which is really encouraging, from existing members of parliamentary party, from former members of the parliamentary party, and from people who aren’t in the parliamentary party, so I am keen to encourage them all.”

On the subject of by-elections being triggered by Dáil deputies departing for Europe, he said: “That’s just that’s just the reality of it; the most important thing is that we have the best people representing us in the European Parliament. We only have 15 seats in the European Parliament, we’re a small country, it has to be the best people.

“And, you know, we had a set of by-elections in November after the last European elections, and while we didn’t do so well in those elections, three of the four candidates we ran in those by-elections are now TDs, so, you know, opportunities come around a lot in politics.”