Fianna Fail to select team for local elections in Offaly

Fianna Fail will select its team to contest next year's local elections in Offaly's three electoral areas at a convention in Tullamore on Monday night next.

Two long-serving councillors – Cllr Eamonn Dooley, Ferbane and Cllr Danny Owens, Killoughey – have announced they will not defend their seats.

All the other sitting Fianna Fail councillors – Cllr Peter Ormond, Cllr Tony McCormack, Cllr Frank Moran, Cllr Declan Harvey, Cllr Robert McDermott and Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick - intend to seek re-election.

Four new candidates will seek the party's nomination on Monday – Barbara Daly and Audrey Kennedy in the Birr Electoral Area, Claire Murray in the Edenderry area and Ollie Bryant in the Tullamore area.

Barbara Daly, from Ferbane, is a sister of Cllr Eamonn Dooley and the National Union of Journalists' Irish Secretary Seamus Dooley.

Audrey Kennedy, nee Hennessy, is a sister of former Offaly and Birr hurler Brian Hennessy. She is also a sister-in-law of the former Fine Gael TD, Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy.

Claire Murray comes from the Fianna Fail stronghold of Rhode while Ollie Byrant is Chairman of Shamrocks GAA club and an employee of Offaly County Council.

Monday's convention, which will be held in the Tullamore Court Hotel at 8pm, will be chaired by Fianna Fail Mayo based Senator Lisa Chambers.

Cllr Eamonn Dooley has been a Fianna Fail member of Offaly County Council since October 1993 when he was co-opted after the death of his father Eddie Joe.

The Ferbane man was then elected in 1999 and returned at every election since then. His father was first elected in 1950 and another member of the extended family, Sinead Dooley, has also served as a councillor.

Cllr Dooley, who will be 70 in September, said that he had considered retiring from the council when he was 65.

“I think it's a young man's game. Like everything in life, you want to do a few other things before you lie down and die,” said the councillor.

“My son has his own business and I will probably help him out a bit and I intend to do a little bit of travelling.”

The councillor is a former employee of Bord na Mona and was especially vocal throughout his public career on the changes in the energy company.

Cllr Danny Owens, a two-time All-Ireland hurling medallist, was first elected in 2004.