Labour selects Aodhán Ó Riordáin as its candidate to run in European elections

Labour TD Aodhán Ó Riordáin has been selected as the party’s candidate to run in the European elections which take place in June.

Mr Ó Riordáin defeated Senator Annie Hoey and Fingal councillor Rob O’Donoghue for the nomination from the party.

The party currently has no sitting MEP. The sitting Dublin MEPs are Frances Fitzgerald of Fine Gael, Clare Daly of Independents 4 Change, Barry Andrews of Fianna Fáil and Ciarán Cuffe of the Greens.

Addressing reporters before the convention, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the party was “determined to ensure there will be a Labour MEP representing one of the Irish constituencies in the European Parliament after the June elections”.

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Asked how many seats the party hoped to win overall, Ms Bacik said the party hoped to win three.

She also used the occasion to make a renewed call on the Government to join the case South Africa was taking against Israel. “We have to join with South Africa now to take action against Israel under the genocide convention,” she said.

Mr Ó Riordáin earlier said he changed his mind about running for the European Parliament after the riots in Dublin in November. During his campaign he referred to the city “going on fire” in November and cited problems with housing, attracting teachers and nurses and the cost of living.

[ European Parliament set for hard-right shift after June elections ]

A former minister for state for equality, he is from Dublin’s northside and was educated at Gaelscoil Míde, Malahide Community School, UCD and Marino Institute of Education.

He worked as a teacher for 11 years in the north inner city. He was elected to Dublin City Council in 2004 and 2009 and to Dáil Éireann in 2011 for the Dublin North Central constituency. He served as minister of state for equality, new communities, culture and the National Drugs Strategy from 2014 to 2016.

He was re-elected to Dáil Éireann in 2020 and now serves as Labour’s spokesperson on education, enterprise and trade.

He said he wants issues related to Dublin to be raised at local, national and European levels.

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