A 24-year-old trainee barrister has been added to the Fianna Fáil ticket in Mayo.
Lisa Chambers from Ballyheane will run alongside sitting TD Dara Calleary in an effort to retain the traditional Fianna Fáil seat in the county town, which Beverley Flynn is vacating due to her retirement.
“My message is that I want to bring a fresh perspective to both the party and to politics in general.
“I’m a young candidate, an ordinary local person who wants to see changes brought about for the betterment of everybody,” she told the Mayo Advertiser.
Coming into the race late and as a relatively unknown apart from her role as chairperson of the Castlebar Town Cumann doesn’t phase Chambers. “I did consider this for a while, but I’m not naive and I know I have a mammoth task ahead of me, but my aim is to get out there and win a seat. The feedback has been good, we had a very good convention and there is still a lot of support for Fianna Fáil.”
Chambers also hopes that her decision to run will encourage more young people and women to get involved in politics.
Michael Kilcoyne ended the will he or won’t he suspense of putting his name forward at the weekend and the popular independent councillor who topped the poll last time out in the Castlebar area in the local elections will be a formidable opponent for the major party candidates.
Also putting their names down on the ballot paper are two Ballina based independent candidates Martin Daly who is backed by the newly formed Mayo Reform Movement and Loretta Clarke.
The Green Party will also be represented on February 25 with Kilmaine man John Carey being put forward by the junior partners from the last coalition government
