ON Saturday afternoon Sinn Féin selected Violet Anne Wynne as its candidate in Clare for next month’s general election.
Originally the party had chosen Mike McKee and Noeleen Moran to run. However Councillor McKee became ill and died earlier this year. In addition, so long had elapsed following its original selection convention, that Ms Moran’s nomination was no longer valid, and another convention was required.
On Friday Ms Moran issued a statement ruling herself out of the race, making it clear she was not happy with the process that had been followed. “I will not be putting my name forward at the Sinn Féin selection convention for the forthcoming General Election. Sinn Féin has had since last August to select a candidate in Clare, yet they chose to leave it until this very late stage to do so.
“I do not think that is an appropriate or fair way to treat someone who was willing to put their name forward and had been selected for the previous 20 months,” she said.
It would be a huge surprise if Ms Wynne were to take a seat in next month’s election, with Sinn Féin still not having the foothold in Clare that they have developed in many other counties over the last 20 years.
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.