Ff and renua seeking election candidates in cavanmonaghan

Fianna Fáil and Renua are now taking applications from General Election hopefuls, writes Paul Neilan.

On Monday morning, September 28, Fianna Fáil sent out nomination papers to party members across Cavan and Monaghan and will close the process on October 6.

Already confirmed as putting their names forward for Fianna Fáil are sitting TD Brendan Smith and Bailieborough’s poll-topping councillor Niamh Smyth.

The latter had been rumoured to have been of interest to Renua but Smyth said she has no intention of ever running for anyone outside the party despite internal grumblings over her candidacy.

In May of last year she topped the poll at the local elections but was denied the chair of Cavan County Council.

Renua, meanwhile, launched its candidate selection process on Saturday, September 26, but term it a 'recruitment drive for election 2016’.

Interested candidates can apply by sending CVs to atmembers@renuaireland.com . However, their IT department might be busy with an unfortunate glitch apparent on their site on Monday (pictured).

Former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton’s party will end their drive on October 2 with interviews taking place over the following week.

Their election takes place from Wednesday, October 7 to Thursday, October 8 with the results on Friday, October 9.

Unusually, non-members are also 'welcome’ to apply.

The party has selected Finbar Filan, brother of Westlife’s Shane Filan, to run in Donegal-Sligo-Leitrim-West Cavan and told this paper that the Cavan/Monaghan constituency had not been included on their high priority list for finding candidates.

Former FG councillor Eamon Murray had expressed an interest in running in the newly-drawn constituency.

The three sitting Fine Gael TDs have all been selected to contest the election; as have Deputy Caoimhghín ” Caoláin and Senator Kathryn Reilly for Sinn Féin.

Independent candidate and Garda penalty points whistleblower John Wilson has fully recovered from bowel cancer and this week released his election poster (pictured) with the line 'An independent voice for all our people’.

Labour is struggling to find a candidate for Cavan and look like they will not contest the election - anyone brave enough is sure to take a battering - while at least one anti-water charge candidate is expected to run.

At least one sitting TD is destined to lose out, however, after the constituency was re-drawn from a five-seater to a four.