Meaney fails to make Fianna Fáil ticket

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 people who have voted for me. I’m in a bit of a dilemma at this point and I will have to think long and hard about where I go from here.”

A total of 167 party members cast their vote on Monday evening for the nine candidates, Claire Colleran, Alan Considine, Joe Corbett, Pat Daly, Bernard Hanrahan, Tom McNamara, Brian Meaney, Eoin Neylon and Joe Reidy.

Deputy Niall Collins, who chaired the meeting, said the constituency committee had directed that three candidates be selected by the Clare selection convention.

This sparked a wave of criticism from the delegates, with one saying, “Very few people would have voted here tonight if what you said was known before the vote took place”.

Another blasted, “The 184 members have paid €20 to vote for their candidate in their areas and there is some clique in Dublin telling the 184 members who they have to have as public representatives. Is the €20 taken from each of those members a money-making exercise?”

He went on, “Michéal Martin travelled the length and breadth of this country telling the members and enticing new members into this party by telling them that our vote would count and that we could select our candidate. Don’t blaggard the members of this county. It’s scandalous; it’s supposed to be a party of openness.”

Deputy Collins told the delegates that the procedure being followed was no different to other conventions.

“The national executive is our governing body and they have delegated the responsibility to the constituencies committee. Our instructions are three candidates will be selected and I don’t have the discretion to accept other proposals.”

Deputy Collins highlighted that Clare is the “envy” of many other parts of the country in having nine candidates hoping for selection.

After the announcement of the results, Councillor Daly stated that all of the candidates deserved to be on the ticket.

“It’s going to be difficult but the tide is with us,” he said. He urged Deputy Collins to go back to headquarters and tell them that Clare had been promised four candidates.

Mr Hanrahan recalled that when he lost his seat in 2009, he vowed to be back again in 2014. “I’m delighted to be able to contest this election. I know it’s tough when you lose and it was a very hard campaign.”

Councillor McNamara stated, “I am truly humbled to be selected and honoured to be a candidate. I was lucky in 2009 when I was first elected. It was some battle that time and some doors weren’t too nice but I was lucky to come through. I have given it everything I possibly could over the past four years and I would hope that if elected in 2014, I will continue to give it everything that I have.”

Also speaking at the selection, Deputy Timmy Dooley voiced his confidence in the party obtaining four seats in next year’s election. There is still an opportunity for the other candidates, with two more names set to be added.

Jessica Quinn