Race on to fill vacancy left by election of Barry Cowen to European Parliament

FIANNA Fail is this week beginning the search for a candidate who can retain the party seat in Offaly vacated by Barry Cowen.

A record of Oireachtas representation by the Cowen family going back to 1969 has ended with the election of the Clara TD to the European Parliament.

The vacancy in the Laois-Offaly constituency can be filled by a bye-election which must be called within six months of Mr Cowen taking his seat in Brussels which will not happen until the middle of July.

The bye-election might then not take place until 29 days after it is called, pushing the date possibly as far as February.

Alternatively, a general election could take place as soon as October or November, an option which now seems most likely.

The next general election will be run using the redrawn constituency boundaries so Offaly and Laois will both be stand-alone three-seaters instead of the five-seat Laois-Offaly arrangement currently in place

Two serving Fianna Fail councillors in Offaly who previously contested general elections today spoke about the possibilities which are opening up.

Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick is a Cloneyhurke-based farmer who topped the poll in the Edenderry Electoral Area.

“I'll seek the nomination definitely,” said Cllr Fitzpatrick. He expects other Fianna Fail members to be interested in running.

“I think it's an opportunity to seek it this time and see how things go. I don't know but I won't be on my own I'm sure.”

Cllr Fitzpatrick also said a bye-election would not suit him because as it is currently constituted, the Laois-Offaly constituency excludes his nearest town, Portarlington, which is in Kildare South.

The councillor, who was a Progressive Democrat representative nearly 20 years ago before joining Fianna Fail, indicated that he would not be in favour of a candidate being selected from outside the party.

He said he was aware of one well known name being mentioned but stated: “I don't know how that would go down. Bringing in someone, from an elected members' point of view, would not be great for people who have served the party for a number of years. But I don't know.”

Shinrone's Cllr Peter Ormond said he will give the matter serious consideration over the next couple of weeks.

“I'll be talking to my family and the members in the organisation and down in south Offaly to see is it something we should be doing. I'm going to take soundings over the next couple of weeks and make up my mind then on it,” said Cllr Ormond, a poll-topper in the Birr Electoral Area.

In the 2020 general election Cllr Ormond received 4,073 first preference votes and remained in the race for a seat until his elimination on the seventh count.

“I got a reasonable vote the last time but not enough and we have to see is there a way to build on that going forward and see is there a route to a seat. We'll have to look at the figures,” said Cllr Ormond.

He was one of three candidates from south Offaly in that election. Cadamstown-based TD Carol Nolan was re-elected but the Fine Gael candidate, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, lost out.

Cllr Ormond said identifying a Fianna Fail candidate will be given a thorough examination.

“The important thing is there has been a [Fianna Fail] seat for a long time and whoever the person is, that they are able to retain that seat, whoever is chosen. Who ever is putting their name forward is going to have to come up with a plan that they can retain the seat.”

There will be pressure on Fianna Fail on this occasion to nominate a new candidate from the Tullamore Electoral Area and Cllr Tony McCormack, who was re-elected to Offaly County Council, is known to be interested in a run for the Dail.

If the party does indeed opt for a candidate from the county town, Cllr Declan Harvey may also contest the nomination.

Fine Gael will see a three-seat Offaly constituency as an opportunity to regain the seat last held by Ms Corcoran Kennedy, and prior to her by Olwyn Enright and her father Tom from Birr.

Two councillors, John Clendennen in Kinnitty and Neil Feighery in Killoughey, are two potential candidates for the party.

Boosted by its success in some councils across the country and in the European Midlands North West constituency, where Ciaran Mullooly was elected, Independent Ireland will likely seek a seat, opening up the possibility of Fergus McDonnell's name going on the ballot paper.

The former Fianna Fail man regained a seat in the Edenderry Electoral Area for the new party and the retirement of John Foley, who ran for the Dail on several occasions, means there are votes available in north Offaly.

Sinn Fein will be encouraged by the support received in the Offaly County Council election where the party won a seat in each of the three electoral areas, Sean Maher, Birr, Claire Murray, Edenderry and Aoife Masterson, Tullamore.

Deputy Nolan won a seat for the party in 2016 but subsequently left Sinn Fein because of her opposition to abortion and was re-elected as an Independent in 2020.

She has said she will run again as an Independent in the next election.