John O'Leary, the captain of the last Dublin football team to win an All-Ireland football title, has been added to the Fianna Fáil ticket in Dublin North for the forthcoming general election.
Mr O'Leary steps in to fill the vacancy created by the decision of sitting TD and former Ireland rugby international Jim Glennon not to contest the election.
Mr O'Leary's decision comes as a welcome boost to Fianna Fáil as both of the party's sitting TDs in the four seat constituency, Mr Glennon and GV Wright, have decided to leave national politics.
The Taoiseach yesterday welcomed Mr O'Leary as a Fianna Fáil candidate when the two men met in Swords. "I am delighted that John O'Leary has agreed to run as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin North at the next election. John, along with Michael Kennedy and Darragh O'Brien, is part of a very strong Fianna Fáil team and I am obviously pleased that our party is putting forward candidates of such high calibre."
Mr Ahern added that while Mr O'Leary was a new candidate, he brought with him a wealth of experience to the campaign trail. "John is a highly respected figure and is best known as a footballer of great distinction. He is an All-Ireland winning captain, an All Star and has represented both Dublin and Ireland on many occasions.
"But most importantly still, John is a true sportsman who, through his own generosity of time and effort, has made a massive contribution to community activity in north Co Dublin for many years." The Taoiseach said that Mr O'Leary had worked in senior management positions with the Permanent TSB and had "many unique insights into the challenges we face as we seek to build a fairer and stronger Ireland. He has a deep interest in and commitment to developing our community and health services, promoting investment in education and opening up more opportunities for new and sustainable jobs".
Mr O'Leary is a native of Balbriggan who has lived and worked in Fingal throughout his life. He was goalkeeper on the Dublin team that won the All-Ireland title in 1995 and 1983. He was captain of the side that beat Tyrone in 1995.
Mr O'Leary said that he was honoured to have been asked to stand as a candidate for Fianna Fáil. "After considering the offer over a period of time I have decided to accept the challenge.
"Fingal has rural, urban and suburban issues that must be addressed. I intend to use commitment, determination and focus to make sure our communities are well represented where it counts," he said.
