Candidate may challenge Fine Gael's election ticket result

One of the two Fine Gael candidates who lost out in a bid to secure a place on the party's ticket for next year's general election campaign in Clare is considering a challenge to the result.

Yesterday, Cllr Joe Carey (FG) confirmed he was considering challenging the result of Sunday night's ballot, which selected current TD Pat Breen and Shannon-based councillor Tony Mulcahy to run for election in the four-seat constituency.

Cllr Carey lost out by three votes to Cllr Mulcahy in the marathon ballot that attracted a poll of over 1,500 votes where Deputy Pat Breen was elected after the first count with 517 votes.

Son of former minister of state and retired TD, Donal Carey, Cllr Joe Carey said yesterday: "It is not a case of sour grapes on my part, but questions have to be asked about the process. Cllr John Crowe withdrew from the ballot at the 11th hour, but his name remained on the ballot paper."

The other Fine Gael candidate to lose at convention, Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, confirmed yesterday that in spite of the result she would be contesting next year's general election. Asked would she be resigning from Fine Gael, Cllr Taylor-Quinn said: "No, I have a proven track record with the party. I am very loyal to Fine Gael. End of story."

In the lead up to the convention, a number of Fine Gael branches in Clare experienced a massive jump in membership as Sunday night's ballot was based upon a one-person, one-vote system. Cllr Taylor-Quinn said: "Five or six branches now represent 60 per cent of the party membership in Clare where there are around 60 branches."

Cllr Taylor-Quinn called for a review of the one-person, one-vote rule. She said that the 194 first preference votes she polled on Sunday was more than her first preference vote in 2002 when she topped the poll at the Fine Gael convention in the first round.

Last month, Fianna Fáil selected Junior Minister Tony Killeen and Senator Timmy Dooley and is expected to add Senator Brendan Daly - who failed to make the nomination at convention - to the party ticket in the next number of weeks.