Dragons Den Peter Casey to run in Donegal as Independent

Dragons Den entrepreneur Peter Casey has confirmed he will contest the upcoming General Election in Donegal as an Independent candidate.

Mr Casey, from Derry, had been considering contesting the election either in Donegal or a Dublin constituency since he announced his intention to run in January.

"I resonate with Donegal," he told The Irish Times.

The two three-seat Donegal constituencies, North East and South West, will come together as one five-seater for the next election.

"There will be three Sinn Féin seats. I think Fianna Fáil will definitely get one seat and I think there's room for a strong Independent," Mr Casey said.

Under Mr Casey's reckoning, Fine Gael Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Joe McHugh would lose his seat.

“My platform will be very simple,” Mr Casey said.

"We need to stop people leaving Donegal, encourage them to come back and give tax incentives to bring business to Donegal, the way New York and New Jersey give incentives."

Mr Casey set up a business in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia. He recently bought a home in Donegal.

He is the founder and executive chairman of Claddagh Resources, a global recruitment business.