23 vying for Ireland South seats

Nominations closed this week for the European Parliament elections which will take place in May.

23 candidates have declared their interest in running in Ireland South, some of which are familiar names and faces.

Ireland has been given another two seats in the European Parliament because of Brexit, one of which is going to Ireland South and the other to Dublin. This brings Ireland South up from a four to five seater constituency.

However, it is understood that if the UK has not left the EU by the time of the election on 24 May, Ireland South will still take four with the fifth filled when the UK eventually leaves.

Current member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Cork woman Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) is looking to be re-elected as is Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada. The candidate from Cork county also ran in the most recent presidential election.

Another candidate from Cork is Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher. Current MEP Sean Kelly from Kerry is also running again while Brian Crowley (Fianna Fáil) won’t be running again as he is retiring from politics due to ill health.

Other candidates with a Cork address include Theresa Heaney, Diarmuid O'Flynn, Maurice Sexton and Colleen Worthington, all independents, while Peter O'Loughlin is from the Identity Ireland party. Ireland South takes in Cork as well as Carlow, Clare, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Wexford, Wicklow, Limerick and Waterford.

The other candidates are:

Allan Brennan

(Independent)

Malcolm Byrne

(Fianna Fáil)

Dolores Cahill

(Independent)

Andrew Doyle

(Fine Gael)

Paddy Fitzgerald

(Independent)

Breda Patricia Gardner

(Independent)

Peter Madden

(Independent)

Liam Minehan

(Independent)

Sheila Nunan

(Labour)

Grace O’Sullivan

(Green Party)

Walter Ryan-Purcell

(Independent)

Jan Van De Ven

(Direct Democracy Ireland)

Adrienne Wallace

(Solidarity-People

Before Profit)

Mick Wallace

(Independents

for Change)