NOMINATIONS FOR next month’s European Parliament elections will close at midday with Fianna Fáil ex-Minister of State Pat “The Cope” Gallagher expected to make a last-minute declaration to run for the party in the North West constituency.
Ireland’s representation in the Brussels and Strasbourg-based parliament will be cut by one seat from 13 to 12, which will see Dublin being reduced from a four to a three-seater. All outgoing MEPs, bar Fine Gael’s Avril Doyle and Fianna Fáil’s Seán Ó Neachtain, are running again. Ms Doyle announced her decision to retire months ago, while Mr Ó Neachtain withdrew after he had been nominated to run again citing medical advice.
In Dublin, one of the existing MEPs – Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell; Fianna Fails Eoin Ryan; Labours Proinsias De Rossa and Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald – will not be re-elected because the constituency is being cut to a three-seater.
Fianna Fáil Meath TD Thomas Byrne was nominated yesterday to contest the East constituency alongside outgoing MEP, the Carlow/ Kilkenny-based Liam Aylward.
Local election candidates have until Saturday to lodge their nominations with returning officers.
Fianna Fáil has given up on two weeks of effort to find a Galway-based candidate to replace Mr Ó Neachtain in the race for a European seat in the North West constituency.
Donegal South West TD, Pat “The Cope” Gallagher is understood to be ready to declare today, though he had still not given final commitments to the party up to late yesterday, some party sources said.
However, Fianna Fáil’s already-selected candidate, former senator, Paschal Mooney has become increasingly irritated at how he has been treated, pointing out that he had been selected by party delegates at a convention.
Rejecting suggestions that he had threatened to quit if Mr Gallagher joined the ticket, Mr Mooney pointed out, that he had already canvassed Mr Gallagher’s constituency for support, with Mr Gallagher’s help.
Launching the Libertas European campaign yesterday in Dublin, Declan Ganley, who is contesting the North West constituency, criticised Independent MEP, Marian Harkin.
“A vote for Marian Harkin is a vote for FFs group in the European Parliament,” he claimed.
The Libertas candidate in Dublin, solicitor Caroline Simons described Proinsias De Rossa MEP “a man who has been 15 years in the European Parliament and who next year will be 70 years of age”.