Devlin beats Hanafin by four votes at FF convention

Fianna Fáil is expected to add former minister Mary Hanafin’s name to the ticket in Dún Laoghaire following her defeat by four votes in the selection convention last night.

The favourite to win the sole slot available at the convention, Cllr Cormac Devlin won by 68 votes to 64 votes in the second count.

Ms Hanafin was ahead after the first count by 60 votes to 52, but was overtaken by Mr Devlin, who benefitted from the transfers of the third candidate, Kate Feeney. Ms Feeney received 21 first preference votes. Only four of her transfers went to Ms Hanafin.

Fianna Fáil is now expected to move quickly to add Ms Hanafin’s name to the ticket following a high-profile campaign by all three candidates which was beset by delays and arguments over process and gender quotas.

Internal polling conducted by Fianna Fáil has shown that Ms Hanafin represents the best chance of the party retaking a seat in this predominantly middle-class constituency. Though nominally a four-seater, it is also the base of Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett.

With his re-election to the Dáil being automatic, Dún Laoghaire has effectively become a three-seat constituency.

Several hundred people were in attendance at the convention, which was held in FitzPatrick’s Hotel in Killiney.

Party sources told The Irish Times that a decision on adding an additional candidate would be made very soon, probably "within days".

Ms Feeney is a former leader of Ógra Fianna Fáil, and a daughter of former senator Geraldine Feeney. In a keen rivalry with Ms Hanafin in last year’s local elections, dubbed “The Battle of Blackrock”, both succeeded in taking seats in that local authority area.

In 2011 the party’s two outgoing TDs, Ms Hanafin and Barry Andrews, both lost their seats. Neither was willing to stand down from the contest despite advice that a one-candidate strategy was the only possible means of Fianna Fáil retaining a seat.

In the event, both candidates finished close to each other. Ms Hanafin did not gain sufficiently from Mr Andrew’s transfers upon his elimination.

Party strategists believe a two-candidate strategy could work better this time as the dynamic between the candidates will be different and Fianna Fáil is no longer facing a receding tide electorally.

Fine Gael selects Dara Murphy in Cork North Central

Minister of State Dara Murphy was on Monday selected by Fine Gael to run in Cork North Central. Mr Murphy beat Senator Colm Burke by 188 votes to 172 to be the party’s standard bearer in the four-seat constituency.

Mr Murphy, who made headlines last week when he asked gardaí to drive him 200kms from Mitchelstown to Dublin Airport after his car broke down, won through the selection convention which was attended by close to 500 delegates at the Ambassador Hotel in Cork.

Fine Gael has traditionally run two candidates in Cork North Central, usually one from the city and one from the county. It was unclear last night whether the party will now add Mr Burke, who is originally from the county, to the ticket.

Minister for the Agriculture Simon Coveney and Jerry Buttimer were selected by Fine Gael to run in Cork South Central, which has become a four seat constituency.