Fine Gael and Fianna Fail set to select fresh faces as general election candidates in Limerick

THE TWO main Government parties are expected to partner their sitting Dail TDs in Limerick with female running mates in the upcoming general election.

With Ireland set to go to the polls later this year or early next year, parties are focusing on their candidates to put before the people.

It’s the first election with a directive in place that at least 40% of a party’s candidates must be female.

Both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have reacted to this locally.

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Already in the Limerick County constituency, Fianna Fail has picked Adare councillor Bridie Collins to run alongside Minister of State Niall Collins in the three-seater.

In the Limerick City constituency, where there are four seats up for grabs, one of Senator Maria Byrne or Cllr Olivia O’Sullivan look set to join OPW Minister Kieran O’Donnell on the Fine Gael ticket, with the convention next Monday, September 9.

Newly elected councillor Noreen Stokes, meanwhile, has confirmed she is seeking the Fine Gael nomination in Limerick County to run alongside Minister for Further and Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan.

In the city, Limerick Live understands veteran TD Willie O’Dea will be paired with former Limerick Chamber boss Dee Ryan.

She performed very credibly for the party at the summer’s mayoral election - finishing behind John Moran and Helen O'Donnell.

It’s the first time in recent memory the big two parties will select as many women to contest the two Limerick constituencies.
In the city in particular, there is a sense that the fourth and final seat is very much ‘up for grabs’, which has sharpened the resolve of the main parties to pick strong running mates.

The feeling among Fine Gael in particular is that given the initial popularity of Taoiseach Simon Harris, their party could be well-placed to gain this seat. It is this - and the gender quota - which has put the focus on Ms Byrne and Cllr O’Sullivan of Caherdavin.

Cllr O’Sullivan is being backed by two prominent figures within the party locally: former Na Piarsaigh GAA club chairman Timmy O’Connor and Alan Kavanagh.

Both men were part of former Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s election campaigns from 2002 to his last run in 2016.

Mr Noonan has long been politically close to Senator Byrne, and publicly endorsed the former mayor in the 2020 election.

Although she missed out then, she survived until the seventh count where her transfer helped running mate Mr O’Donnell over the line.

“Everyone in Limerick knows three seats are gone. The fourth one is the one which is up for grabs,” said one Fine Gael figure.

“There hasn’t been a challenged convention of Fine Gael in Limerick in a long number of years. You have to start looking at doing things differently and you need to start looking at new candidates,” they added.

One person not contesting the general election is Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler, who got the highest vote in the metropolitan district in the local election.

“Any ticket we put forward needs to be gender balanced, and whoever is joining the minister would have to be a woman I'd think. It's the political reality we have to operate in,” he said.