Nine set to contest Roscommon/Galway election

Voters west of the Shannon will be casting their ballot in a significantly changed three-seat Roscommon/Galway constituency.

The new constituency includes the entire county of Roscommon and a significantly smaller part of Galway.

Some 18 Roscommon electoral divisions, around Boyle, with a population of 8,569, that were in the Sligo/Leitrim constituency are now in the new Roscommon/Galway constituency.

The number of electoral divisions in Galway included in the new constituency has fallen from 48 to 16, with a loss of some 16,330 population.

Two of the three outgoing Tds, Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane, and Michael Fitzmaurice, who was elected in 2020 as an independent, but is now representing Independent Ireland, are seeking to be returned to the Dáil. Independent TD Denis Naughten is not contesting the election, having retired from politics.

At present, there are nine candidates. Fine Gael is running two candidates, North Roscommon based Dympna Daly-Finn, who contested the local elections unsuccessfully, but was chosen at a selection convention to contest this election after the party directed that a candidate from the north of the county be on the ticket.

Senator Aisling Dolan, from Ballinasloe, was recently added to the ticket, despite losing out at convention to John Naughten, who since passed away.

Fianna Fáil chose a single-candidate strategy, and Dr Martin Daly, from Ballygar, emerged victorious narrowly at a convention. Subsequently, the defeated candidate outgoing Senator Eugene Murphy has opted to run as an independent.

The Green Party candidate is Martina O’Connor, Aontú is represented by Cormac Ó Corcoráin while Andrew Mannion will be on the ballot paper for People before Profit.

Candidates (to date)

Martin Daly (FF), Dympna Daly-Finn (FG), Aisling Dolan (FG), Michael Fitzmaurice (Ind Irl), Claire Kerrane (SF), Andrew Mannion (PBP), Martina O’Connor (GP), Cormac Ó Corcoráin (Aon), Eugene Murphy (Ind).