Limerick Fianna Fáil candidate pulls out of the race the day after he joins
Fianna Fáil is back down to just one candidate in Limerick County after Cllr Eddie Ryan withdrew from the ticket - just twelve hours after he was added.
On Monday evening, following a meeting of the National Constituencies Committee, Fianna Fáil announced that Cllr Ryan would join sitting TD Niall Collins on the ticket in Limerick County.
However, after reflecting on the decision overnight, he informed the party that he would not be running.
A Fianna Fáil spokesperson confirmed the decision and conceded that a one-candidate ticket is now likely.
"We note Eddie’s decision to withdraw from the General Election ticket and are disappointed by it," they said.
"On the issue of a second candidate, we don’t, at this stage, anticipate any further addition to the ticket."
After he had been added to the ticket, Cllr Ryan had said: "This is an exciting time for Limerick – this county has so much potential but it has been ignored by Fine Gael. Fianna Fáil will get the best out of this county and I will provide a strong voice for the constituency.
"Together with Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil has a strong ticket for Limerick and can deliver."
Also running in the constituency are sitting TDs Patrick O’Donovan (Fine Gael) and Tom Neville (Fine Gael), Séighin Ó Ceallaigh (Sinn Féin), Claire Keating (Green Party), John Dalton (Renua), Conor O’Donoghue (Aontú), Cristín Ní Mhaoldhomhnaigh (National Party) and Cllr Richard O’Donoghue (Independent).
Meanwhile, in Cork-South West, the Green Party has added well-known environmental campaigner Bernie Connolly to its ticket.
Ms Connolly is the coordinator of the Cork Environmental Forum (CEF) and previously stood for the party in 2004.
Originally from Glengarriff, she has been coordinator of CEF since 2011.
It means the Green Party now has a candidate running in every constituency.
Ms Connolly has committed to focusing on community development and social issues.
"We’ve been fighting for the environment and for biodiversity for years in West Cork, and now you have young people getting really passionate about the environment and the climate crisis," she said.
"In one way it’s terrible that these issues are still issues, but it means that we know what they’re going through, we can speak from experience when they ask for help, and it means that there are passionate people out there to work together to make sure these aren’t issues for our children and grandchildren."
Separately, in the city, the field is getting even more crowded. Glanmire councillor Ger Keohane is the latest name added to the Cork North-Central ticket. He will run as an independent.
Finally, in a milestone for the party, Labour will not have a candidate in Kerry for the first time since 1933.
Cllr Terry O'Brien, a former mayor of Tralee and Kerry, had been approached by the party but has opted not to run.
At its height in Kerry, Labour held two seats in the county - one in Kerry North and one in Kerry South.
In 2011, Arthur Spring, a nephew of Dick Spring, won a seat in Kerry North but he failed to retain it in 2016 when Kerry became one constituency.
