Roscommon Fianna Fáil Dáil election contest heats up

While no date has yet been set for a selection convention, the race for a Fianna Fáil nomination to contest the forthcoming general election in Roscommon-Galway is well underway, with up to three candidates expected to put their names forward.

Former TD and current Senator, Eugene Murphy, who held a Dáil seat for the party from 2016 to 2020, is widely regarded as the frontrunner to take the nomination.

However the convention could end up being a three-way contest, with well-known Ballygar GP, Dr Martin Daly, planning to put his name forward, and South Roscommon councillor John Keogh, also declaring his intention to seek the nomination.

In an interview with Shannonside Radio earlier this week, Cllr Keogh said he had “always expressed an interest” in putting his name forward for selection.

“That has not changed,” he said, adding that if he was nominated by the party membership, and got the requisite number of nominations to put his name before convention, “I will certainly be pursuing that”.

Meanwhile, Ballygar-based GP Dr Martin Daly, who is a former president of the Irish Medical Organisation, and a strong advocate for the protection of the rights of rural patients to have access to a GP practice, has publicly declared his intention to seek the party's nomination for the three-seat Roscommon-Galway constitency.

Dr. Daly ran for the Seanad as an Independent candidate in 2016, and has also worked as a team doctor with Roscommon GAA.

At the time of going to press, Cllr John Keogh had not responded to a request from the Westmeath Independent for a comment on his intention to seek the FF nomination.

The party's selection convention is expected to take place before the end of this month.