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Councillor Lisa Chambers Facebook/Twitter

Just 5 of Fianna Fáil's election hopefuls are female*

*So far.

JUST FIVE OF the 28 candidates Fianna Fáil has so far selected to run in the general election are female.

With 22 out of 40 selection conventions held so far, Micheál Martin’s party is currently significantly short of the requirement that a third of its candidates are female at the next election.

All political parties must ensure that at least 30 per cent of their candidates are women or face having their state funding cut in half in the next Dáil term. On current numbers just 18 per cent of Fianna Fáil candidates are women.

The party is coming under particularly scrutiny over gender quotas in the wake of the high-profile departure of Averil Power last month.

That has left Fianna Fáil with just one female politician in its parliamentary party, Senator Mary White. She is one of the five women already selected to run in the next general election and hopes to take a seat in Dublin South.

The others selected include Lisa Chambers in Mayo, Mary Butler in Waterford, Mary Hoade in Galway West and Norma Moriarty in Kerry.

00154147 Senator Mary White Laura Hutton / Photocall Ireland Laura Hutton / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

The party has repeatedly insisted it will meet the gender quota target.

Fianna Fáil has yet to definitively determine how many candidates it will run at the next election but running 60 would require that at least 18 of them are women.

Earlier this year, the Markievicz Commission, chaired by Professor Yvonne Galligan, said Fianna Fáil will be required to field between 20 and 27 women candidates depending on the overall number of candidates put forward.

The same report also recommended that some female candidates be asked change constituency in order to spread the numbers available to run. The commission also said that some constituency branches should be issued with directions to select a woman at conventions.

Responding to that report in January, Micheál Martin said the gender quotas law would mean tough decisions for the party.

“It will mean hard decisions, tough decisions, very difficult decisions, but that is the nature of political leadership: it’s the nature of politics,” he said.

Fianna Fáil anticipates that the majority of its general election selection conventions will have been held by the end of July.

Read: Shock in Fianna Fáil as former president’s son will NOT seek Dáil seat

Read: After Averil’s shock departure, how do other parties shape up in terms of women?

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52 Comments
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    Mute Alan Leahy
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:40 AM

    Gender Quotas? Surely you should get a job based on ability, not based on your reproductive organs!!!

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:05 AM

    Apparently not. There will be LGBT quotas next. Then Race Quotas.

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    Mute Angry Squirrel
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:38 AM

    I’d Lisa one.

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    Mute Beano
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    Jun 20th 2015, 10:20 AM

    She’s no Mary Lou

    41
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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:08 AM

    Gender quotas are the most insulting idiotic way to encourage women to join the ranks.’You’re rubbish but you’ve got boobs, you’re hired!’ Hire based on merit, this countries politics is already a disaster, don’t make it worse.

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    Mute Francis Devenney
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:14 AM

    “The same report also recommended that some female candidates be asked change constituency in order to spread the numbers available to run. The commission also said that some constituency branches should be issued with directions to select a woman at conventions.” Have they no idea how democracy works?
    I can see the letter now…….Dear constituency A, While we know you have a candidate popular in your area and who has been working hard for your constituency for years and is infinitely electable We would like you to run someone based solely on their gender. If you do not have a woman we can ship one in from else where. Yours insincerely…..

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    Mute Thomas Anderson
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:21 AM

    Shh you will give them ideas and having to listen to that cackle again would cause me to emigrate and go somewhere with more liberty like Zimbabwe

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    Mute Ryan Ash
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:47 AM

    @ Alan Leahy: The elecorate will be the ones who ultimately decide who gets the job.

    And let’s face it – there have been geographic quotas in the past in Irish politics e.g. parties saying that one candidate should come from the east of the constituency and one from the west of the constituency, even if the two best candidates are from the same area.

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    Mute Joey Gee
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:54 AM

    Frankly, if we’re going to be wholly equal, I want the same paid time off for paternity leave that my wife had.

    34
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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:57 AM

    Joey, it should be a given

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    Mute Brendan Harlowe
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    Jun 20th 2015, 1:21 PM

    Also hardly any men have applied for midwifery and nursing courses ? What will be done ?

    20
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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Jun 20th 2015, 1:42 PM

    Hopefully they will be encouraged or incentivised like women and science. Pushing incapable or unwilling people to do a job is insanity. You can’t force equality in somebody that is unwilling.

    12
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    Mute John
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    Jun 20th 2015, 6:25 PM

    Fianna Fáil are the only real alternative to those Fine Gael / Labour Gobsheens.

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    Mute brian magee
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:34 AM

    I refuse to vote for any new female candidate in the basis that they got the nomination based on their sex and not their ability.
    Sexism is alive with gender quotas.

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    Mute An Ciarraioch
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:47 AM

    Looks like FF are going to have get some their Candidates to have a sex change ?

    Picture Mehole as becoming Michelle ?

    Women in FF seem like “Hens Teeth” – excuse the pun ?

    In any case , it’s great news – less female Candidates under quota means less Funding Grants and as a positive consequence FF will even do more badly and hopefully disappear as a Party shortly !

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    Mute Jim Brady
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:56 AM

    Fewer

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    Mute Fran Scanlon
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:42 AM

    on the basis not in the basis.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jun 20th 2015, 12:43 PM

    so what about the female candidates running 1st time who genuinely are the best in their area and selected because they are the best?

    13
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    Mute brian magee
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    Jun 20th 2015, 1:50 PM

    Well kevin they lose out. As we will never know weather or not they earned their place or not. See gender quotas don’t work

    18
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    Mute Stiofán De Priondárgas
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:43 AM

    I’m all for more women in politics but having a quota requirement is just going to put people in seats for the sake of it, if there was a lot of female interested in politics and were not getting picked I’d say something

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    Mute Sean Johnston
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:34 AM

    Confirmed, women definitely have more sense.

    81
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    Mute right wing
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:46 AM

    My wife was thinking of going into politics, but then she decided she couldn’t listen to that b@llocks all day

    78
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    Mute Thomas Anderson
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:16 AM

    So she stayed home??

    12
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    Mute Sean Mac Diarmada
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:41 AM

    Why dont they just dissolve themselves, and give the nation a break.!

    77
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    Mute Tom Harvey
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:45 AM

    Who gives a sh*t they are all useless

    76
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    Mute Willy
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:45 AM

    Don’t reckon Moses could revive FF …

    54
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    Mute Jimmy jones
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:36 AM

    Male , stale and beyond the pale .

    52
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    Mute Adrian
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:29 AM

    Sur throw a dress on willie o’dea and one or two others. Sorted!

    47
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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:17 AM

    Makes no difference wont be many FF TDs anyway

    45
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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:41 AM

    Their finding it had to find pretty women with morals, that tell the truth and don’t want to rip the rest of the country off.

    44
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    Mute Thomas Anderson
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:17 AM

    Well in Labours case they have damned ugly women who have no morals either. They also have the worst spoken Minister equalled only by Bertie

    15
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    Mute John Ward
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:05 AM

    They can be hermaphrodites for all I care!

    39
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    Mute David G
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:03 AM

    A party that embraces women candidates (without have to use quotas) should be a given not an achievement. Martin really is making a hames of this and he needs to sort it out. There is tons of qualified women for them to recruit, I can think of 5 in my own work place alone (large US multinational). There is no excuse.

    34
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    Mute Le Tigre
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:25 AM

    Why should they go and recruit people based on their biology? If your colleagues are interested they can get involved. There is no excuse.

    56
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    Mute David G
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:32 AM

    They just recruited Ger Brennan so that argument goes out the window, surely they can balance it out by recruiting a qualified woman next. We need to understand that more women than men suffer from imposter syndrome and they need to be encouraged into politics. It’s the parties responsibile to do this and while I don’t agree with gender quotas there is nothing wrong with parties having a strategy to attract more women.

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    Mute Le Tigre
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    Jun 20th 2015, 10:04 AM

    No, he joined. And what is there to “balance out”? The Force?

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    Mute Martin Meyler
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    Jun 20th 2015, 10:37 AM

    The gender of a FF candidate is completely irrelevant. Whether male or female, they ALL wear the uniform, follow the party, support cute-hoorism and stroke politics. Crooks from the moment they join. Avoid like the PLAGUE; if we haven’t learned our lesson by now, we DESERVE them.

    30
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    Mute emma burns
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:48 AM

    Fianna Fail’s stance on abortion (none, ever) is enough to put off an awful lot of women who might otherwise run. Their performance on Vincent Browne last Wednesday was shameful. FG little better to be fair.

    27
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    Mute Mick Bacon
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:58 AM

    I will not be voting for any whipped party irrespective of the gender of the candidate , I will only vote for candidate that has agreed to the 1YI campaign to introduce citizen initiated referendum and recall ( direct democracy ) .
    If I were to be a FF/FG/LAB/SF voter I would not vote for a gender quota candidate because positive discrimination / affirmative action / gender quotas makes a mockery of the so called feminist equality movement and shows it up for the falsehood that it is.

    22
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    Mute Adam Leech
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    Jun 20th 2015, 8:49 AM

    If it isn’t Clare Underwood, then they will never be getting my vote.

    21
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    Mute @mdmak33
    Favourite @mdmak33
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:45 AM

    parties destroyed this country, destroy them all in GE,vote all independents.

    20
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    Mute Finbarr Barry
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:51 AM

    There should be a max limit on the amount of teachers in the dail. This grouping is over represented and is undemocratic

    19
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    Mute Mayo GAA Banter Page
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    Jun 20th 2015, 10:53 AM

    Sure De Valera wore a dress!!

    17
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    Mute Martin Meyler
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    Jun 20th 2015, 3:58 PM

    Photos, please!!!

    2
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    Mute Le Tigre
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    Jun 20th 2015, 9:23 AM

    *So what?

    15
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    Mute Le Tigre
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    Jun 20th 2015, 2:21 PM

    If you’re writing letters every time a feminist gets an easy ride in the media then I’m investing in stamps

    5
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    Mute leartius
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    Jun 20th 2015, 10:14 AM

    Well I suppose the real question is ” who do you feel more comfortable lying to you a man or a women. Not even a sentence on policy good or bad from FF. now many times can a nation be fooled, the country has changed but who can change the ethos at the top that political privilege is more important than political reform. With Greece possible default how close are we to having troops guarding banks and what is the predicted collateral losses.

    10
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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Jun 20th 2015, 2:36 PM

    There are professions that are mainly either female or male dominated,Are we going start having to hire more males in to the female dominated roles and vice versa?
    The best person for the job regardless of sex.

    9
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    Mute Adrian
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:06 AM

    Maybe they could use that talktojoan thing. Martin “Howya Joan, problem here, trying to get jobs for the boys, any suggestions?”. Joan “tweet, tweet,…..tweet, tweet”.

    9
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    Mute B-Egan
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:29 AM

    DeValera would be proud. Fianna Fail the catholic church and the Tea ladies. Fianna Fail nua.

    9
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    Mute Con ODomhnaill
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    Jun 20th 2015, 12:28 PM

    And they ALL support water charges and water metering

    8
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    Mute Spoddgy
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    Jun 20th 2015, 11:52 AM

    What ever sex they are they should still be dragged a long the ground face down by tractors repeatedly for the crimes their party has committed! I’d do the same with Fine Gael and labour but I don’t think their crime list is as long seeing as they had to bend over and take a good rodgering from the Germans because of the action of the previous Fianna Fáil governments! Well maybe not be dragged quite as long as the Fianna failure! Possibly 1 minute less!

    5
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