A newly-elected Fianna Fail councillor was the surprise winner last night at a convention to select the party's candidate for the Tipperary South by-election, which was caused by the death in March of Mr Michael Ferris, the Labour TD.
Mr Barry O'Brien, a businessman in his early forties from Clogheen, defeated fellow county councillors Mr Michael Maguire and Mr Michael Anglim to secure the nomination. Mr Maguire, who received more than 4,000 first-preference votes in the 1997 general election, had been favoured to succeed.
Mr O'Brien, who was elected to South Tipperary County Council for the first time last June, said that the party was going through hard times because of recent allegations, but he knew that "99.9 per cent" of its members were decent people. "We will go into this campaign with our heads held high", he told delegates at the convention in Clonmel.
Mr O'Brien defeated Mr Maguire by 94 votes to 87 on the second count after Mr Anglim had been eliminated.
The importance of the by-election was emphasised by the party's director of elections, Minister of State Mr Noel Davern, who said that the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, deserved "that extra seat in Dail Eireann".
Senator Tom Hayes won the Fine Gael nomination on Thursday and Labour will select its candidate next Tuesday. Mr Ferris's widow, Ellen, is expected to secure the nomination. Mr Davern and Fine Gael deputy Theresa Ahearn are the constituency's sitting TDs.
