Here is a round up of the Candidates for the 4 European consitituencies in Ireland with a few predictions.
Ireland – Dublin
Dublin is the big battlegorund this year with the number of seats being reduced from 4 seats to 3. The Greens, with Senator Deirdre De Burca, are also hoping to gain a seat in Dublin. It will be a tough campaign.
- Eibhlin Byrne (Fianna Fail) Website
- Deirdre de Burca (Greens) Website
- Proinsias de Rossa MEP (Labour) Website
- Joe Higgins (Socialist) Website
- Mary Lou McDonald MEP (Sinn Fein) Website
- Gay Mitchell MEP (Fine Gael) Website
- Eoin Ryan MEP (Fianna Fail) Website
- Caroline Simons (Libertas) Website
Prediction: Ryan, De Rossa and Mitchell to hold their seats with McDonald loosing out. Of the others I think the Greens will poll best.
Ireland East
East is going to be an interesting campaign with Fine Gael out to hold on to its two seats it won in the 2004 elections. This time round, Avril Doyle MEP is standing down and Sen. John Paul Phelan has taken up the reigns to hang on to the seat. Fianna Fail will also be hoping to hang on to its seat. They have yet to announce their second candidate in the constituency. Sinn Fein are also running two candidates here. Greens have no candidate announced here at the moment.
- Liam Aylward MEP (Fianna Fail) Website
- Nessa Childers (Labour) Website
- Kathleen Funchion (Sinn Fein) Website
- Mairead McGuinness MEP (Fine Gael) Website
- Ray O’Malley (Libertas) No Link Found
- John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael) Website
- Tomás Sharkey (Sinn Fein) Website
Prediction: Unless Fianna Fail can get another candidate in the ticket soon, the seat could be in danger, but to who is the question? Sinn Fein if it can manage its vote could be the threat to Fianna Fail. Fine Gael will hang to its two seats.
Ireland North West
This will be an interesting constituency. This is the constituency that Libertas founde Declan Ganley will be running in. Will people back him and his party? Fianna Fail are in a spot of bother here as Sean O’Neachtain won’t be running this year and they have no one to replace him. Sinn Fein came second on first perferences here in 2004, but will they be as strong this time out? Fine Gael are running two candidates and could do the job and win two, but at whos expense? Will it be Fianna Fail or Independent (ALDE) MEP Marian Harkin?
- Declan Ganley (Libertas) Website
- Marian Harkin MEP (Independent/ALDE) Website
- Jim Higgins MEP (Fine Gael) Website
- Padraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) Website
- Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) Website
- Susan O’Keefe (Labour) Website
- Fiachra O Luain (Independent) Website
- Joe O’Reilly (Fine Gael) Website
Prediction: Harkin to keep the seat. That is going against what everyone else is saying, but im going out on a limb here! If Fianna Fail can get a well known figure, either TD or outsider then they may keep the seat, but I know they will be slow to run a TD due to possible by-election defeat. Fine Gael will win at least one seat and depending on second Fianna Fail candidate could win two.
Ireland South
In Ireland South Fine Gaels Colm Burke is fighting for the seat he inherited from Simon Coveney in 2007. Fine Gael are also challenging for a second seat. Kathy Sinnott (Independent/Democracy) is also fighting to keep her seat. Fianna Fail is running two candidates here, with sitting MEP Brian Crowley being joined on the ticket by Ned O’Keefe TD. Libertas aren’t running in Ireland South so that they don’t threaten Sinnotts anti-EU vote.
- Colm Burke MEP (Fine Gael) Website
- Brian Crowley (Fianna Fail) Website
- Dan Boyle (Green) Website
- Toireasa Ferris (Sinn Fein) Website
- Alan Kelly (Labour) Website
- Sean Kelly (Fine Gael) Website
- Ned O’Keeffe (Fianna Fail) No Link Found
- Kathy Sinnott (Independent/Democracy) Website
- Alexander Stafford (Independent) No Link Found
Prediction: Crowley and Burke will hold seats and it will go to the last count between Sinnott and Sean Kelly. I think Kelly will win it though.
The night of the count will be very interesting in each of the constituencies! I’m looking forward to it.
Interesting predictions. I wonder if Ganley will hold true to his word if he’s not elected and not campaign in the second referendum?
we can hope he sticks to his word
Good list. I think Labour will take the last seat in Ireland West at expense of FF and FF will have 2 seats in Munster
At whos expense in Munster Simon? Sinnott or Burke? Personally cant see it happening at the moment unless O’Keefe and Crwley pull of something spectacular
I see Paschal Mooney has a website (www.paschalmooney.eu) to add to your list.
Why thank you Zough, I’ll update the list!
i think Kathy Sinnott will take it in ireland south. i heard her in a radio debate with the other candidates and she seemed to be the only one who could say that she has had positive accomplishments in the past 5 years.
She might have accomplishments but she sits in the same grouping as UKIP, something most irish people would not associate with.
http://www.drstafford.ie/ for Alexander Stafford. Ned O’Keeffe doesn’t appear to have a website or a direct email, nor does Toiréasa Ferris. Not very impressive!
Great blog by the way, yours is the only page I could find on the net with a comprehensive list of and links to all candidates
Thanks Micheal. I must update this list soon enough I think.