Eoghan Murphy and Kate O’Connell selected as FG candidates

Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy and councillor Kate O'Connell have been selected by the party to contest the Dublin Bay South constituency in the next general election.

The candidates for the four-seat constituency were selected by members at a convention in the Alexander Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday.

Mr Murphy was elected to the Dáil in 2011 for the Dublin South East constituency, which is to be incorporated into the new Dublin Bay South constituency in the next election.

He is a member of the banking inquiry and was previously a Dublin city councillor, having been elected in the 2009 local elections.

He said the next election presents a challenge for Fine Gael but the party is aiming to secure a second term in Government having “proven our ability to restore economic stability”.

Ms O’Connell, a pharmacist, was elected to Dublin City Councill in 2014. She said she was “hugely encouraged” to have been selected as a candidate.

“As a working mother and business woman, I have experienced the pressures being felt by many working families in Dublin Bay South. If elected, I want to see the provision of continued supports for small businesses, along with high quality childcare options that are affordable.”