Galway politicians dominate Seanad elections – with two high-profile exceptions
Seven politicians from Galway have been elected to the Seanad – but there were two high-profile casualties.
Former Minister and Galway East TD, Anne Rabbitte (FF) was the biggest name who failed to get elected in last weekend’s counts to fill seats in the senate; Fine Gael’s sitting senator Aisling Dolan in Ballinasloe also didn’t make the cut.
Rabbitte was appointed to the Seanad after losing her seat in the General Election in November and both women will be hoping their party leaders rehabilitate their careers and appoint them to the Upper House of the Oireachtas.
Among the septet of Galwegians who won a seat are two Seanad newcomers, Galway County Councillors Shane Curley (FF) and PJ Murphy (FG), which creates vacancies on the local authority that will be filled through co-options.
Murphy from Ardrahan took one of eleven seats on the highly competitive Agricultural Panel, where Senators Dolan and Eugene Murphy (Ind) and Galway County Councillors Cillian Keane (FF) and Noel Thomas (Ind Ire) missed out.
Loughrea’s Curley took a seat on the Cultural and Educational Panel, as did the outgoing senator from Moycullen Seán Kyne, who retained his seat despite announcing after the General Election that he was leaving politics for good.
Senator Ollie Crowe (FF) from Bohermore was re-elected on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, despite a challenge from Galway native, Adrian Cummins, the head of Restaurant Association of Ireland who wasn’t elected.
Salthill native Gerard Craughwell retained a Seanad seat on the Labour Panel which was not a happy hunting ground for Rabbitte. Her neighbour in Portumna Niamh Madden, who ran for FG in the General Election in Galway East, missed out on a seat on the Administrative Panel. Galway senators Alice Mary Higgins and Rónán Mullen from Ahascragh were both re-elected on the NUI university constituency.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil leaders have it within their gift to nominate eleven people to the Seanad – those who lost out in Galway will be hoping to get the nod.
Pictured: Fianna Fáil senator Ollie Crowe, pictured with his family Ava, Maria and Luke, following his re-election to the Seanad on Industrial and Commercial Panel last weekend. He was one of seven Galway senators elected.