SINN Fein in Kerry caused political eyebrows to be raised this Saturday when they added a third candidate in the Tralee electoral area at the 11th hour.
Former Tralee councillor Cathal Foley has been added to run alongside outgoing councillors Pa Daly and Toireasa Ferris as the party bids to win an unprecedented three of the seven seats up for grabs.
Despite intense speculation over several months, former TD Tom Fleming will not be a candidate in the Castleisland area, however, as expectations that he would register before today’s 12 noon deadline proved wide of the mark.
Catlal Foley (45), who was nominated by Cllr Toiréasa Ferris at county buildings in Tralee this morning, remarked: “I understand what a daunting task it will be to take a seat in what will be a keenly contested election with some very strong and established candidates in the running.
“With a third seat I believe we can make an even bigger impact on the future direction of policy on Kerry County Council.”
Father of three Foley has worked as a Parliamentary Assistant to Deputy Martin Ferris TD since 2014 and he had been a member of Tralee Town Council from 1999-2014.
The decision of Scartaglen publican Tom Fleming not to run could signal the end of a long and distinguished political career.
The former Fianna Fáil county councillor (67) had said he was actively considering running in the new Castleisland division after opting out of the political limelight when he withdrew from the general election race in 2016.
Meanwhile, two Independent candidates have also entered the race before the deadline with Denis O’Reilly opting to run in Tralee and John Martin O’Sullivan in Listowel.
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