Three candidates will compete to be Fianna Fáil MEP Seán Ó Neachtain’s running mate in June’s Local Elections. Of those, former ICMSA leader Pat O’Rourke is tipped as the likely winner.
Fianna Fáil will hold its selection conventions for the North West constituency in the TF Royal Hotel and Theatre, Castlebar, on Sunday at 4pm.
Four candidates will contest for two positions. The candidates are MEP Seán Ó Neachtain, Mr O’Rourke, former senator Pascal Mooney, and secretary of the Dromore West comhairle ceantair in Sligo Gerard O’Connor.
Despite intense pressure from Fianna Fáil, the former Celtic and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner has declined the offer to stand for selection as a candidate in the forthcoming EU elections.
Party sources feel that an Ó Neachtain-O’Rourke ticket is the most likely. Mr Mooney is a former senator who twice lost his council seat while Mr O’Connor is a virtual unknown - not the sort of candidates a party needs when you have Independent Marian Harkin, Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins, Libertas’ Declan Ganley, and Sinn Féin Cllr Padraig MacLochlainn as your opposition.
The main challenge for the Longford based Mr O’Rourke is if he can expand his base to cover Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan, and Westmeath. If he can then he could be in the race for a seat. If not, Fianna Fáil will be left hoping he does well enough to shore up Mr Ó Neachtain’s position.
It appears there will be a six horse race for three seats among MEPs Higgins, Harkin, and Ó Neachtain, Mr O’Rourke, Mr Ganley, and Cllr MacLochlainn.
As Fianna Fáil will not win two seats there will be an internal contest between Messrs Ó Neachtain and O’Rourke to decide who goes into the shoot-out, which will then create a five-way battle
