FINE GAEL TD Kate O’Connell has failed to secure a nomination from her party to run in the Seanad election, but Catherine Noone has been given the nod.
Fine Gael’s national executive met last night to finalise its list of what are dubbed as “inside” nominations, selecting 13 nominees.
An “inside” nomination requires the backing of four TDs or Senators, as explained here in TheJournal.ie’s guide to the Seanad elections.
While there had been speculation after the election that some ministers would look to the Seanad for a seat, Regina Doherty, Catherine Byrne and Mary Mitchell O’Connor have ruled themselves out of the contest.
10 Fine Gael women have received nominations.
Looking at inside nominations, they include Aisling Dolan, Sharon Tolan and Emer Currie.
Those who received outside nominations include Gab McFadden, Mary Newman Julian, Maria Byrne, Emma Blain, Áine Collins, Catherine Noone and Linda O’Shea Farren.
The Seanad election takes place on 30 March.
There are 60 senator seats up for grabs. The Taoiseach gets to nominate 11 senators. while 43 are voted on by incoming/sitting TDs, outgoing senators, and councillors.
NUI and University of Dublin graduates elect six senators.
Following the fall out of the election, a number of TDs who lost their seats are looking to secure a place in the Seanad.
Three female Fianna Fáil TDs that lost their seats in the last general election have managed to secure nominations for a seat.
Former Fianna Fail TDs for Kildare South, Fiona O’Loughlin, Lisa Chambers of Mayo and Margaret Murphy-O’Mahony of Cork South-West are all vying for a seat.
Fine Gael made its final decision on who is getting a nomination at its party’s Executive Council meeting last night.
These include Tom Neville of Limerick and John McGahon of Louth for the Cultural and Educational Panel.
For the Agricultural Panel, the party has selected Aisling Dolan of Roscommon-Galway and former Michael D’Arcy of Wexford.
Joe O’Reilly of Cavan-Monaghan and Jerry Buttimer of Cork South Central have been nominated for the Labour Panel, as has John Cummins of Waterford.
The nods for the Administrative Panel from the party includes Noel Rock of Dublin North West, Garret Ahearn of Tipperary and Emer Currie of Dublin West.
The Industrial and Commercial Panel nominees from Fine Gael include John Paul O’Shea of Cork North West, Michael Carrigy of Longford-Westmeath, and Sharon Tolan of Louth-Meath East.
Former Fine Gael TDs who lost their seats, chief whip Seán Kyne and Carlow TD Pat Deering, have already received nominations from outside bodies.
Fianna Fáil is yet to finalise its own list.
It is expected that most Fianna Fáil TDs who lost their seats in the recent general election are expected to be nominated.
Former frontbench Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley has already been nominated by the Restaurant Association.
Former TD for Cork East TD Kevin O’Keeffe has also been nominated on the Agricultural Panel.
A number of other former TDs are also expected to get a nomination. These include former TD for Roscommon-Galway Eugene Murphy, as well as former Meath West TD Shane Cassells. Pat Casey in Wicklow is also expected to receive an inside nomination, having lost his seat in the election.
The former Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger is also contesting the Seanad election after losing her seat in Dublin West.
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