Ballygar doctor Martin Daly ratified as Fianna Fáil’s Dáil candidate in Roscommon-Galway
Dr Martin Daly was ratified this evening as Fianna Fáil’s General Election candidate in Roscommon-Galway. Pic. Gerard O'Loughlin
Ballygar doctor, Martin Daly, has been ratified as Fianna Fáil’s candidate to contest the next General Election in the Roscommon-Galway constituency.
At this evening’s selection convention in the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon Town, he defeated Senator Eugene Murphy in a two way contest by a margin of just eight votes, 106 to 98.
Dr Daly and Senator Murphy were the only two candidates in the race following the previous withdrawal of three other nominees, councillors John Keogh and Paschal Fitzmaurice, along with 2019 Local Election candidate, Malachy Hand.
Dr Daly is a former president of the Irish Medical Organisation, and an advocate of protecting rural patients' access to GP practices.
A team doctor with Roscommon GAA, he also ran for the Seanad as an independent in 2016.
A directive in advance of the convention from Fianna Fáil Headquarters and the National Constituencies Committee stipulated that only one candidate would be selected on the night.
After winning a seat for the first time in the 2016 General Election, Senator Murphy served in the Dáil for four years before losing his seat to Sinn Féin’s Claire Kerrane in February's 2020 election.
In April of that year, he was elected to the Seanad as a candidate on the Agricultural Panel.
It’s unclear at this stage whether the party will add another candidate at a later date to the General Election ticket in Roscommon-Galway.
