Quartet enter Offaly Dáil race

Four candidates for the race for the Dáil have emerged in the past week, with Fianna Fáil selecting Tullamore's Cllr Tony McCormack, Sinn Féin giving the nod to Cllr Aoife Masterson, Edenderry councillor Fergus McDonnell declaring for Independent Ireland and outgoing TD Carol Nolan confirming her candidature.

First-time general election candidate for Fianna Fáil in Offaly and Tullamore businessman Cllr Tony McCormack admits he has “big shoes to fill” in his bid to secure the party seat vacated by Barry Cowen following his election to the European Parliament in June.

Cllr McCormack, who is the current Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, was selected as the Fianna Fáil candidate for the upcoming general election in a three-way contest at the party’s selection convention on Monday night last, and said he was “honoured and humbled” at the vote of confidence that members had given him.

The withdrawal of Edenderry Cllr Claire Murray, from the convention left three candidates in the hunt for the nomination, one from each local electoral area, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick (Edenderry); Cllr Peter Ormond (Birr) and Cllr McCormack (Tullamore). The directive given to delegates stipulated that they select one candidate at convention, and Cllr McCormack emerged as the preferred candidate after the three names were put to a vote.

Sitting Independent TD Carol Nolan confirmed she would be running in the election, with a post on social media on Wednesday.

She said she would contest the general election as an indepenent.

She stressed she was not aligned to the Independent Ireland party or to any other Independent candidate running in the Offaly constituency.

Meanwhile, Cllr Aoife Masterson, who was elected as a first-time candidate to Offaly County Council for the Tullamore Electoral Area earlier this year is also set to contest the general election.

In a post on social media, she said "pending Ard Comhairle approval", she had been selected as the party candidate for Offaly.

Independent Ireland's Cllr Fergus McDonnell will also be on the ballot.

The councillor was elected in the 2024 Offaly County Council Elections, and is hoping to be supported by the community in his decision to stand for Dáil Éireann.

Cllr McDonnell said: “I’ve spent my life serving this community, from working as a school transport driver to managing the North Offaly Community Development Network.

“These experiences have grounded me in the realities that families face every day, and I will carry that knowledge with me into Dáil Éireann. It’s about creating a future where our children and grandchildren can flourish.”

McDonnell had also previously served on Edenderry Town Council for nearly 30 years,

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week in the wake of his selection by Fianna Fáil, Cllr Tony McCormack said he is very conscious of the legacy of Ber, Brian and Barry Cowen, who have carried the mantle for Fianna Fáil in Offaly since 1969.

“All I can do is put my own stamp on it and I will do my very best to retain the party seat in Offaly,” he said.

“I feel the stand-alone constituency will be an advantage to me as a first-time candidate, but I still have to get my name out there across the whole county, and I intend to do that,” he said, adding “the hard work starts now.”

It is expected that Fianna Fáil will run two candidates, with Cllr Claire Murray a possible addition.

Fine Gael has already selected its candidate with Kinnitty-based businessman John Clendennen set to contest his first general election.