Six seek Seanad seats

Three new names and three returning faces.

Six local names- including two sitting councillors and a former TD- will contest the upcoming Seanad elections.

Along with three returning from last term- Fianna Fáil's Diarmuid Wilson (Admin Panel) and Robbie Gallagher (Labour), and Fine Gael's Joe O'Reilly (Labour)- new to the fray are Sinn Féin's Pauline Tully who lost her Dáil seat in November's General Election, Fine Gael's Carmel Brady, and Aontú's Sarah O'Reilly.

The deadline for nominations was noon on Tuesday last, December 31, with ballot papers to be issued January 15 ahead of polling taking place at the end of the month, January 30.

Ms Tully has been nominated to the Seanad's Cultural and Education Panel. For five seats there are already 20 names contesting, including Cllr Brady from Tullyvin who saw her name put forward by Fine Gael.

Cllr Brady, who is currently serving in her second term as chair of the Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board. Cllr Brady, who also stood for General Election, got the party nod ahead of fellow Cavan cllr and current council cathaoirleach, TP O'Reilly.

Ms Tully is hoping to fill the spot vacated by party colleague Fintan Warfield, who had served on the same panel since April 2016. He was the youngest senator in Ireland over the last term, but has since opted to instead pursue a full-time career in music.

The mum of two was her party's spokesperson on Disability and Carers and TD for Cavan-Monaghan and was a member of the Oireachtas Committee of Disability Matters. She was also a member of the time-limited Autism Committee set up to consider matters relating to the services and supports provided by the State for autistic people.

Aontú's Cllr O'Reilly has been nominated by her party to the Agricultural panel, where there are currently more than two dozen people vying for one of 11 spots.

Cllr TP O'Reilly from Virginia also put his name forward for consideration by his party, but was overlooked by Fine Gael, while Independent Ireland's Shane P O'Reilly received nominations but “respectfully declined” the backing of two outside bodies.

He twice ran for the Seanad under the Fianna Fail banner in 2016 and 2020 before quitting the party months later.

For Sen Wilson it will be his sixth time contesting for a seat in the Seanad. He is a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and during the last term was a member of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence debate.

Sen Gallagher meanwhile, a former member of An Garda Siochana and estate agent, is the current Fianna Fáil Seanad Spokesperson for Justice, having been elected first in 2020. He has failed on three occasions to get elected to Dáil Éireann- 2002, 2020, and 2024.

Finally, Sen Joe O'Reilly was Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Seanad during the last term, and is a Member of the Sub-Committee on Children of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

He has served as a Senator on the Labour panel since April 2016, and previously from 2007 to 2011 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel and from 1989 to 1992 for the Cultural and Educational Panel. He was a TD from 2011 to 2016.

See this week's newspaper for full report.