Ged Nash, Mary Moran and Minister Brendan Howlin at last night’s Labour Party selection convention in Drogheda
Local senator Mary Moran was last night selected to run as a Labour candidate in the next general election in Louth and East Meath.
The former St Vincent’s schoolteacher will be joined on the billing by sitting TD, Ged Nash, from Drogheda.
Senator Moran entered politics in the 2011 General Election where she took 4,546 (6.6%) of the first preference votes, eventually being eliminated on the 11th count with 6,974 votes to help Nash over the line with her transfers in the next count.
Peter Fitzpatrick would go on to take the fourth and final seat up for grabs, with only Fianna Fáil’s James Carroll polling better than her of those not elected.
The 55-year-old from Haggardstown was later appointed to the Seanad as a Taoiseach’s nominee in May 2011, becoming the first female member of the Oireachtas from Co Louth in the process.
Commenting on her selection, Senator Moran said: “I am delighted to have been officially selected as a candidate to run in the next General Election.
“Since I entered the Seanad Éireann in 2011 I have taken great pride in working for the people of Louth/East Meath over the last four years. My experience on the ground working on a number of issues relating to education, housing, mental health, disability and social welfare amongst others have equipped me to efficiently and accurately represent the constituency at a national level.
“I believe I have a great deal to contribute in the coming years and want to continue my work with local groups and people on issues of local and national importance.
“I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the people of Louth/East Meath in the coming months and dedicating myself to better serve them through my General Election campaign for Dáil Éireann,” she said.
