Former intercounty Gaelic football manager John O'Mahony has confirmed that he will seek a Fine Gael nomination to stand in the next general election.
The former manager of Mayo, Galway and Leitrim will seek the nomination to run as a candidate in Mayo alongside Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and TD Michael Ring at a selection convention on June 11th.
Yesterday, Mr O'Mahony told RTÉ's News at One that he had been impressed at the professionalism of Fine Gael and the work of Mr Kenny in rebuilding the party in recent years.
"This is another challenge. I've faced many of them in my life up to now . . . I did it because I was approached from party members and from headquarters, and I've got the support of the councillors," he said.
The task of winning a third seat out of a possible five was described as a "tough challenge" which would require a lot of team work within Fine Gael. "Everybody feels, and I would feel, there is a possibility of three seats," he said.
Mr O'Mahony won two All-Ireland titles playing for Mayo minors and the county's U-21s. As a manager, he also led Galway to All-Ireland titles.