FF to select three to fight Tipperary South

Fianna Fáil is likely to select three candidates, including Senator Martin Mansergh, tonight to contest the Tipperary South constituency in the general election.

The selection convention, which takes place in the Cahir House Hotel in Cahir at 8pm, will be chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Síle de Valera.

Nominations closed on Wednesday, January 18th, by which time local cumainn had put forward six candidates: Cllr Siobhán Ambrose, Cllr Sylvia Cooney-Sheehan, Noel Davern TD, Cllr Niall P Dennehy, Senator Martin Mansergh and Cllr Mattie McGrath. However, Mr Davern, who served briefly as minister for education and later as minister of state for agriculture, announced his decision to retire from national politics after a 36-year career as a TD in early January.

Fianna Fáil strategists, who were meeting last night, were expected to decide to run three candidates in the constituency, and not two - an option preferred in some local quarters.

Though Senator Mansergh would be seen as the front-ranking FF candidate, particularly in view of his record as a Northern Ireland adviser in the past to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the party will have to secure a considerable vote in Clonmel - the biggest town in the constituency - if the party is to secure its hold on one seat in the three-seat constituency. Senator Mansergh, who is based in west Tipperary, polled 5,200 votes in the 2002 general election.