Mulroy selected to defend Westport seat for Fianna Fáil at local elections

WESTPORT-based Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy has been selected as the party's sole candidate to run in the Westport Electoral Area in next year's local elections.

The Fianna Fáil selection convention for next summer's local elections took place in the Clew Bay Hotel in Westport on Thursday evening where Cllr Mulroy was chosen by local party members to defend the seat he first won in 2014.

Cllr Mulroy overcame the challenge by local party activist and chairman of Westport Area Comhairle Ceantair, Tom Duggan, at the selection convention to be the party's sole candidate in the Westport Electoral Area.

Commenting on his Facebook page following the convention, Cllr Mulroy said he was delighted to be chosen to contest the local elections.

“Absolutely over the moon to have won the FF selection convention last night in Westport. Thank you all for your support. I am honoured and privileged to have been selected. I look forward to meeting you all on the canvas for election 2024,” he wrote.

Cllr Mulroy was first elected as Westport Town Councillor in 1999 before going on to serve for three terms before he was elected to Mayo County Council in 2014. He was reelected following the 2019 local election and elected as Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council.

Fianna Fáil ran two candidates in the Westport Electoral Area in the 2019 local election with Louisburgh based Chris Maxwell joining Cllr Mulroy on the ticket. The party only won one seat and in order to ensure they retain a seat in the Westport Electoral Area, it was decided to run only one candidate in the election.

There are four seats to be won in the Westport Electoral Area which along with the three-seater Belmullet Electoral Area forms part of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District. The other sitting councillors in the Westport Electoral Area are Peter Flynn (Fine Gael) and two Independents Christy Hyland and John O'Malley.