Dillon to focus solely on Dáil candidacy

No county council campaign for former Mayo footballer

Anton McNulty

Fine Gael General Election candidate for Mayo, Alan Dillon, has outlined that he will continue to solely focus his energy on his candidacy for DΡil Éireann in the upcoming General Election. In doing so, he has decided not to seek a nomination at the Fine Gael selection convention for the Castlebar Municipal District which will take place next month on Sunday, February 10.
Dillon made his views known at a Castlebar Fine Gael meeting last week.
“I was honoured to secure a nomination to contest the next General Election as a Fine Gael candidate at the selection convention in March 2018,” said Dillon.  
“Since then, I have been visiting various parts of Mayo during my campaign and witnessed first-hand the calibre of talent that exists within the Fine Gael party around Mayo. I am confident there is no shortage of excellent candidates to contest the upcoming local and European Elections in May 2019 and for that reason, I have decided to announce that I will be focusing solely on the next General Election.  I will continue to place all my energy in my preparedness to have the strongest chance of retaining the seat held by Fine Gael in Castlebar for the past 65 years since the people of Mayo entrusted late Henry Kenny’s election in 1954.”
Dillon added that one can never rule out a General Election in 2019 despite a guarantee from Fianna FΡil who refused an agreed date in 2020. 
“If Brexit was settled in the coming months by the British Government, either ratifying a withdrawal treaty or otherwise, then circumstances may allow for an early General Election.  I wish to remain completely focused on meeting with as many people as possible around Mayo to understand the issues impacting our county and seek the trust of local communities to represent them in DΡil Éireann.
“I have made a strong commitment to the successful Fine Gael candidates who will be contesting the Local Elections in May 2019 to work extremely hard for each of them on the ground.  I will support their efforts to ensure Fine Gael achieves the best possible representation on Mayo County Council and look forward to working with them,” he added.
It seems likely that five candidates will be putting their name forward at the Fine Gael convention on February 10 - sitting councillor Cyril Burke; former county councillor and town councillor Eugene McCormack; former town councillor Ger Deere plus first time candidates Padraig Corcoran and Darren McCormack.