Former Lord Mayor of Cork declares interest in running for Dáil seat

A BALLINCOLLIG councillor and former lord mayor has become the latest member of Cork City Council to declare an interest in standing for election to Dáil Éireann.

Fianna Fáil’s Colm Kelleher, who topped the poll in the Cork City South West ward last month, told The Echo he intends to seek his party’s nomination to contest for the Dáil in the Cork North Central constituency.

“The workload of a councillor, lately, is very similar to that of an elected member of the Dáil, and I know what’s involved, what it takes.

“I’ve also served a term as lord mayor of the city, and I believe now that I can better serve my community at a national level,” said Mr Kelleher

Cork North Central is set to expand at the next election to become a five-seat constituency, taking in Mallow and Mr Kelleher’s native Ballincollig.

Fianna Fáil currently has one TD in the constituency, Pádraig O’Sullivan, who was first elected in the November 2019 by-election and was re-elected in 2020.

Lacking

Mr Kelleher said he believed Ballincollig had been lacking its own “native” TD since former minister Batt O’Keeffe retired in 2011, adding: “I hope to be able to put my name before the people and ask them to give me the opportunity to represent them.”

He said that Fianna Fáil has a “one member, one vote” policy and “nobody will be automatically nominated without a vote” at its upcoming convention.

He said he had not spoken “directly” with Tánaiste and party leader Micheál Martin about his intention to seek a nomination.

Mr Kelleher’s announcement of his intention to seek a nomination to run in Cork North Central follows a similar declaration by his fellow Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald, who topped the poll in Cork City North West.

Independent Ireland councillor Kenneth O’Flynn has announced he will run for the Dáil, while Fine Gael’s Shane O’Callaghan said he will also seek his party’s nomination.