*Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG). Photograph: John Mangan
CLLR TONY MULCAHY (FG) has failed in his bid to win a return to Seanad Éireann.
Mulcahy was previously a member of the Seanad on the Labour Panel from 2011 to 2016. This time round, he was the first candidate to receive a nomination for the Industrial and Commercial Panel but his attempts to win one of the nine seats on this panel did not go according to plan.
He polled 18,000 first preference votes and was eliminated on the ninth count. Sources close to the Shannon man had been very optimistic he would be in the shake-up for a return to the Upper House.
A native of Newcastle West, Tony announced his political comeback in October 2023 in advance of the 2024 local elections where he took the seventh and final seat in the Shannon Municipal District. He was an elected member of Clare County Council from 1999 to 2011. He was first elected to Shannon Town Council in 1999.
In 2009, he was elected Mayor of Clare. He contested General Elections for Fine Gael in 2007 and 2011 where he polled 3,408 and 6,829 first preference votes respectively.
Following his defeat in the 2016 Seanad election, he stepped away from politics. He has previously served on the Clare Federation of people with Special Needs. In 2006, he was a selector for the Wolfe Tones senior hurlers when they won the Clare SHC.
Had Mulcahy won a seat in the Seanad, it would have left Clare’s second largest town, Shannon without a voice on Clare County Council.
Ennistymon duo, Senator Martin Conway (FG) and Ann Marie Flanagan (IND) are vying to be elected on the Administrative Panel, counting for which commences on Monday.
