Contest likely to take place at Westport Fianna Fáil convention

AN interesting dynamic is unfolding in Westport Fíanna Fáil circles where sitting county councillor Brendan Mulroy will be challenged at the upcoming selection convention after the party decided to run just one candidate in next June's local elections.

That strategy means that Mulroy will be challenged by party activist and chairman of the Westport Area Comhairle Ceantair, Tom Duggan, when party members gather to select their preferred candidate in The Clew Bay Hotel on Thursday, November 30.

Mr Duggan is based in Fahy outside Westport and has a lifetime of service to the party. He also contested the local selection convention before the 2019 election where he was defeated by the then sitting councillor, Mulroy. Duggan was said to be disappointed subsequently when he was overlooked as the party added Louisburgh-based Chris Maxwell to the ticket at a later date.

Mulroy was duly re-elected to the county council where he has served as Cathaoirleach and established himself as one of the most prominent local politicians, being involved in high-profile campaigns such as the Newport sewage project and the Justice For Joe campaign.

Mulroy is currently the only Fíanna Fáil politician in the Clew Bay area. He was elected to Westport Town Council in 1999 where he served three terms before winning a seat on the county council in 2014. He has served as cathaoirleach of the West Mayo Municipal District on three occasions and a defeat at the upcoming convention would send shock waves through Mayo political life.

Whether Mulroy would run as an independent if defeated on November 30 remains to be seen and he would not be drawn on the subject, telling The Mayo News he wanted to be judged on his record at convention and that's his only focus at the moment.