The Fianna Fail candidate to contest the Cork South Central by-election will be Ms Sinead Behan (29), a solicitor.
Four candidates had been nominated to contest last night's selection convention, but Mr Alan Coleman, a councillor from Belgooley, withdrew his candidacy to promote, as he put it, "party solidarity". That left, as well as Ms Behan, Mr Tom O'Driscoll, a schoolteacher from Ballyphehane, and Mr Barry Cogan, a former Fianna Fail TD, from Carrigaline. But it was no contest and Ms Behan took 91 votes compared to Mr Cogan's 24 and Mr O'Driscoll's 27.
Afterwards the party called for a united effort to secure the Cork South Central seat. But it is widely believed in Cork that either Mr Simon Coveney of Fine Gael or Mr Toddy O'Sullivan of Labour will take the seat, with Mr Coveney most likely to win.