Conventions show the big guns on an election footing

The Maynooth political geographer Adrian Kavanagh put up a telling graphic on Twitter/X during the week, which was a far better use of the social media site than the unctuous two-hour interview between two egomaniacs, Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

Kavanagh has been keeping a close eye on election conventions. He showed that the Green Party is well ahead of the game when it comes to selecting candidates. It has held 23 already.

But then when you look at the rest you realise that they are no slouches either. Fine Gael has held 17, Fianna Fáil 14, and Labour and Sinn Fein, 13 each. There is a slew of conventions being held by parties between now and the end of August.

And there is some juicy speculation too with TV presenter Gráinne Seoige’s name being mentioned in the past week as a possible Fianna Fáil candidate in Galway West. In a way it seems very left field, especially for a party that values its candidates putting in strong apprenticeships.

But look at the hand that is being dealt.

With Éamon Ó Cuív’s departure, is there a really strong Connemara candidate who is a native speaker within the Fianna Fáil ranks. Seoige would fit the bill on both those scores. In addition, she would also have instant name recognition among the electorate. As we have seen celebrity candidates have mostly done well in Irish elections – and why would she be an exception?

Only two months ago, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a former TV personality, scooped a seat for Fianna Fáil in the South constituency. Unlike Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry she did not float in on her celebrity status alone but put in a big campaign to clinch a second seat for Fianna Fáil along with that of Billy Kelleher.

The truth is that Fianna Fáil will need a Connemara-based candidate on the slate along with one from the city, where Senator Ollie Crowe, Councillor John Connolly and Councillor Alan Cheevers are all said to be interested.

Pictured: Good bet?...Gráinne Seoige at the Galway Races.