THE Fianna Fail TD and MEP, Mr Pat "The Cope" Gallagher, has announced that he will not stand for the Dail in the forthcoming general election.
Mr Gallagher's decision means that all three Fianna Fail TDs who were elected as MEPs in 1994 have opted to remain in the European Parliament rather than the Dail. All political parties now require those elected to the "dual mandate" to opt for one body or the other at the next available election.
Mr Gallagher has been a TD for Donegal South West since 1981 and MEP for Connacht-Ulster since 1994.
Mr Gerard Collins (Limerick West) and Mr Liam Hyland (Laois-Offaly) have already announced their intention to retire from the Dail and remain in the European Parliament. Mr Gallagher becomes the 14th sitting TD to announce that he will not contest the election.
Mr Gallagher, a former Minister of State at the Departments of the Marine and Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, said yesterday he had made his decision "with a sense of regret. It has been a tremendous honour to have been successively elected as a TD for Donegal South West", he said.
However, the most important issues for his European constituency, Connacht-Ulster, would take place in Europe in the years ahead, he said. These issues included structural funding and support for peripheral regions.
The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, said his sense of regret at Mr Gallagher's decision not to contest the Dail was offset by the knowledge that he would continue as an MEP. "Throughout his life Pat The Cope's reputation as a hard worker has been second to none," he said.
He had served as a Minister of State "with great distinction" and "has made a significant mark in the European Parliament on key issues, such as funding for the peace process, the Border counties and support for our fishing communities."