Tag Archives: Fianna Fáil convention

A LEADING national Fianna Fáil strategist insists its controversial geographical directive, which effectively hinders Councillor Cathal Crowe from seeking a party ticket to contest the next general election at this Thursday’s Dáil Selection Convention, is “strategy and not personality driven”. There has been a major backlash from some angry FF delegates against the decision by the national Constituency Committee (CC) to issue a directive to select one candidate from East and West Clare at the Clare Fianna Fáil Dáil Selection Convention. A new ad-hoc group – including former FF director of elections in Clare, Michael Neylon – has called for the convention, scheduled for 670 delegates at the Hotel Woodstock in Ennis, to be postponed, amid claims it is “undemocratic” and “contrary to party rules”. Five candidates were initially nominated for the convention – sitting Deputy Timmy Dooley and Councillor Cathal Crowe in East Clare, as well as Rita McInerney, Dr John Hillery and Michael McDonagh, before the latter officially …

FOLLOWING his “rejection” by Fianna Fáil at the party’s West Clare Electoral Area convention on Monday, Councillor Tom Prendeville has claimed that he was approached immediately after the meeting and asked if he wanted to be added to the list of candidates. The sitting Kilrush Town Councillor refused to completely rule out running as an independent candidate, labelled Fianna Fáil a rural organisation, said the late Nelson Mandela wouldn’t have been successful at the convention and maintained that he was “shafted” by Fianna Fáil party strategists. Outgoing county councillors PJ Kelly (51 votes), Pat Keane (50) and Bill Chambers (32) were selected to run for the party in next year’s expanded West Clare constituency, which will elect eight councillors. This means that, as of now, Fianna Fáil will have no Kilrush town candidate in the field for the 2014 election. It has also emerged that there is no registered Fianna Fáil member within Kilrush town. Michael O’Neill (15), Tom Prendeville …

THREE candidates to contest next year’s local election in the Ennis area were selected by Fianna Fáil on Monday evening. The convention also saw some heated exchanges, with delegates in the Auburn Lodge Hotel criticising the direction from the national executive’s constituencies committee that only three candidates would be selected in Clare on the night. Councillor Brian Meaney, who left the Green Party earlier this year and joined Fianna Fail, failed in his bid to be selected. Sitting Clare County Councillors Pat Daly and Tom McNamara were selected by the delegates, along with former county councillor Bernard Hanrahan, who lost his seat on the county council in 2009. Following the announcement of the result, Councillor Meaney said he was aware when entering the process that it would be an “uphill task”. He expressed disappointment at coming “bottom of the heap” adding, “I have spent 25 years operating in politics in Clare and I have worked hard on behalf of the …