*Darragh McAllister is one of the four candidates.
FOUR FIANNA FÁIL CANDIDATES have been shortlisted for convention to determine who will be co-opted to Clare County Council to fill the vacancy left by Mark Nestor.
Nestor resigned from the local authority in September to join the priesthood. He topped the poll in the Ennis Municipal District in 2019 as a first time candidate and was the youngest elected member of the Council prior to his departure.
Over the past two months, party members have been actively working to ascertain interest from potential candidates and identifying personnel they believe would add value to their presence on the County Council.
The Clare Echo has learned that four candidates will be contested the upcoming convention in the Ennis MD, they include Bernard Hanrahan, Amanda Major, Darragh McAllister and Tom O’Callaghan, the quartet had been listed by The Clare Echo as likely contenders in the aftermath of Nestor’s exit.\
Party officers have said a confirmed date for the convention is to be finalised later this week.
Clarecastle’s Bernard Hanrahan better known as Bomber served as a councillor from 1999 to 2009 and was an unsuccessful candidate in 2014, he is likely to garner support from long-serving members.
O’Callaghan is Chairman of the Ennis Comhairle Ceanntair of Fianna Fáil and also serves as Chairman of the Irish Postmasters Union. Tom is understood to have the backing of a number of officers within the Ennis CC.
An independent candidate in the 2019 local elections, Amanda Major had been involved with The Green Party in recent years but has now joined forces with the Soldiers of Destiny in a bid to secure a seat on the local authority.
Former President of Ennis Chamber, Darragh McAllister is viewed as the most likely of the quartet to retain the seat for Fianna Fáil at the 2024 local elections. Together with his business partner Dylan Hayes, the publican runs Lucas’ Bar and Considine’s Bar, both located on Parnell Street.
The Clare Echo understands that current elected representatives had been working to entice a prominent female teacher within the MD to consider allowing her name go forward but their efforts were unsuccessful.
