Tipperary Fine Gael to select candidate to replace the late Cllr John Fahey on Tipperary County Council

Up to 200 Fine Gael party members will attend a party convention in Scoil Ruain Killenaule on Tuesday night, to select a candidate for the Tipperary county council seat left vacant by the death of Cllr John Fahey in October.

Two names have been put forward: former Carrick-on-Suir Town Councillor Margaret Croke, and Mark Fitzgerald from Cloneen, a young man in his 20s whose father Noel died suddenly last year. Noel Fitzgerald had previously contested a county council seat for Fine Gael.

As is customary, the seat was left open for a member of the Fahey family to fill, but no family member expressed an interest in taking up the offer.

It’s understood former Councillor Joe Brennan also decided to withdraw from the nomination process, but hasn’t ruled out running for election again in the future.

The result will be known by the time of going to press this Wednesday, and the successful candidate is expected to be elected unopposed at next Monday’s Tipperary County Council.

That meeting will be held in Ballykisteen House Hotel, in memory of the hundredth anniversary of the Soloheadbeg ambush, and the beginning of the War of Independence.

This is the fifth co-option to take place in the life of this Council: Deputy Jackie Cahill was replaced by Cllr Sean Ryan; the late Willie Kennedy was replaced by Eddie Moran; the late Eddie O’Meara of Mullinahone was replaced by his widow Josephine, who subsequently handed the seat over to her son Kevin.

Three Tipperary Co. Councillors have died during this term of office, unprecedented in the history of the local authority.

Tuesday's successful candidate will have just three months to accustom themselves to office, before having to campaign to retain their seats in this year's local elections, due to take place on May 24.