*Tony Mulcahy.
FORMER SENATOR, Tony Mulcahy (FG) is making his political comeback and will be contesting next year’s local elections.
Mulcahy was selected alongside Cllr John Crowe to represent Fine Gael in the Shannon Municipal District for the 2024 local elections which will be held next June. The duo were unopposed at Monday’s selection convention held at the Park Inn in Shannon.
Some members of the party had been of the view that a third candidate may be in the running but this proved not to be the case.
Newcastle West native Tony was an elected member of Clare County Council from 1999 to 2011. Indeed it was his running mate Cllr Crowe who approached him to put his name forward. He also served as a Town Councillor on Shannon Town Council from this period.
In 1999, Mulcahy with 451 first preferences was the last of five councillors elected in the Shannon electoral area after Patricia McCarthy (IND), Cllr Crowe (FF), the Seán Hillery (FF) and Cllr Pat McMahon (FF).
By 2004 with 1,195 first preferences he was the second candidate elected in a strong performance for Fine Gael with Cllr Crowe topping the poll but McCarthy again was first elected, followed by Mulcahy and Crowe. Five years on, Tony again secured his status as the second candidate elected in Shannon, Crowe topped the poll and this time was first elected.
During his time on the local authority, Tony was Chair of the Fine Gael grouping and also served as Mayor of Clare in 2009/10.
A bid for the Dáil was made by the Shannon man in 2011. He received 11.8 percent of the first preference vote, the sixth highest in a field of sixteen. He was eliminated on the tenth count as Fine Gael retained two seats in Clare with success for Pat Breen (FG) and Joe Carey (FG).
There was better luck for the Managing Director of Freshtoday Clare weeks later when he became a Senator. A share of 64,000 votes saw him elected to the Labour Panel. He lost his seat in the Seanad in 2016, stepping away from politics after this.
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. The team’s freetaker Garret McPhillips contested the 2019 local elections and had Mulcahy’s backing, McPhillips proposed Tony’s candidacy at Monday’s convention.
Sixmilebridge based Crowe will be contesting his sixth successive local election. He also contested the 2016 Seanad Election but was eliminated on the thirty first count on the Industry and Commercial Panel, he finished with 60.799 votes.
