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Former Mayor of Killarney Cllr Niall Kelleher has expressed his disappointment at not being added to the Fianna Fáil ticket for the next general election. Kelleher, a native of Rathmore, had hoped to get the nod ahead of the other six candidates who expressed an interest but in the end Cllr Norma Moriarty was chosen to join Deputy John Brassil on the card.

Kelleher congratulated Cllr Moriarty on her victory before adding that: “On a personal note, I am disappointed that I have not been added to the ticket, thus far, but I am encouraged by the fact that the National Constituencies Committee has stressed that the situation in Kerry will be kept under review over the next number of months.

“I am not alone in thinking that to be in with the best possible chance of winning two seats in Kerry, we need to run three candidates and we need to maximise geographical advantages.

“I will now be concentrating on the next election we know we will face and that is the local elections in May 2019 when I will focus on increasing my vote. We will see what happens after that as, in terms of the timing for a general election, we are still in the dark.”

Senator Mark Daly, Cllr Michael Cahill, Cllr Norma Foley, Cllr Michael D O’Shea and Cllr Tom McEllistrim were the other candidates who were overlooked.

Cllr Cahill also expressed his dismay at not being selected, citing gender balance as one of the reasons the party went with Cllr Moriarty.

“For my part I wish to state that I am not at all surprised but obviously very disappointed not to have been added to the party ticket,” he said. “Not surprised in that I was up against the gender balance whereby political parties have to run 30% female candidates to qualify for the maximum state funding.

“Disappointed in that I was one of five candidates that contested the party convention last January, coming out on top in South Kerry, the very same convention that both Cllr Michael O’Shea and Cllr Norma Moriarty were eliminated in. I have given my entire adult life to public service, almost 28 years, I am known for my tireless work and I am a proven vote getter.

“I received more votes in the 2014 local elections, more than any of the Fianna Fáil candidates including Deputy John Brassil. This along with my vast experience and political base in Mid Kerry would have put me in an ideal position to win a seat for the party.

“You should always play your strongest team.”