Michael O'Regancasts his eye over Berite Ahern's 11.
Martin Brady (FF)
The nomination will come as a relief to Brady given that he lost his Dáil seat in Dublin North-East and then failed to get elected to the Seanad. With Dublin North-East's sitting FF TD, Michael Woods, expected to retire at the next election, Brady will be an obvious choice for a place on the ticket. Formerly an executive officer with Telecom Éireann, he was first elected to the Dáil in 1997.
Ivor Callely (FF)
Callely lost his Dáil seat in Dublin North-Central and failed to get elected to the Seanad. The constituency was reduced from a four-seater to a three-seater in the general election and one of the outgoing TDs had to lose. He resigned as minister of state for transport in December 2005 when it emerged that one of the largest building firms in the State had arranged for the painting of his house in the early 1990s. Since then he has kept a low profile.
Maria Corrigan (FF)
Ideal Dáil material, Corrigan has been unlucky to be a candidate in Dublin South, where Fianna Fáil's Séamus Brennan and Tom Kitt have a strong base. However, her elevation to the Seanad will make her a strong general election candidate next time, when the party is likely to bid for three of the five seats. A psychologist, she has been a member of Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown Council since 1999.
John Ellis (FF)
Ellis, having lost his seat in Roscommon/South Leitrim in the general election, is returning to the Seanad, where he previously served two terms. After the general election and the Seanad elections, Leitrim had no representative in the Oireachtas, so the county was certain to get a nominee. Ellis was chairman of the transport committee during the last Dáil.
Brian Ó Domhnaill (FF)
Seen as a rising star within Fianna Fáil, one of Ó Domhnaill's tasks will be to mark fellow Donegal Senator Pearse Doherty, of Sinn Féin. Based in Falcarragh, Ó Domhnaill is a member of Donegal County Council for the Glenties electoral area. Although he failed to win a seat in the recent Seanad elections, he polled a respectable 21 first preferences in the Industrial and Commercial panel and survived until the 18th count.
Lisa McDonald (FF)
Another rising star within the Fianna Fáil ranks, McDonald will be attempting to win a third seat for the party in the Wexford five-seater at the next election. In the general election she polled 6,355 first preferences. A solicitor, she cut her political teeth with Ógra Fianna Fáil and was secretary of the Kevin Barry cumann while in UCD. She is a member of Wexford County Council.
Dan Boyle (GP)
A certainty for a Seanad nomination, Boyle has been an influential and hard-working member of the Green Party. He lost his Dáil seat in Cork South-Central in the general election. Formerly a community worker, he was first elected to the Dáil in 2002. He was an impressive finance spokesman in the last Dáil and has been credited with making the party's policies in that area more voter-friendly. Boyle was a member of his party's negotiating team which drew up the programme for government with Fianna Fáil.
Deirdre de Burca (GP)
She was an unsuccessful candidate in Wicklow in the general election but is seen as a good long-term prospect to take one of the five seats in the constituency. She was elected to Wicklow County Council in 1999 and retained her seat in 2004. She was also elected to Bray Town Council. She has worked in the disabilities and mental health sectors and is a member of An Taisce and Feasta.
Fiona O'Malley (PD)
O'Malley lost her seat in Dún Laoghaire in the general election as the electoral tide went out for the party. Daughter of the founder of the party and its first leader, Des O'Malley, she is now expected to take over the leadership of the party as it rebuilds. There is speculation that she may opt to run in her father's old constituency, Limerick East, next time.
Ciarán Cannon (PD)
Cannon's nomination was not a surprise given that he could be in the running for a Dáil seat in Galway East next time round. He polled 3,321 first preferences in the recent general election and was elected to Galway County Council in 2004. Cannon is chief executive of the Irish Pilgrimage Trust, which is a charity caring for children and young people with disabilities.
Eoghan Harris
Harris's nomination has come as a major surprise. Formerly a producer in RTÉ, he is a columnist with the Sunday Independentand a frequent contributor to radio programmes. Colourful and controversial, he is expected to be an active member of the Seanad and will contribute to debates in his inimitable style. He staunchly defended Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on the Late Late Show in advance of the recent general election.