FIANNA Fail has no woman deputy in the whole of Dublin - hard to believe considering there are 47 seats - and no female MEP. Consequently there was a big turnout on Thursday morning at the breakfast in the Shelbourne to launch its four women candidates in the capital - Senators Anne Ormonde (Dublin South), Marian McGennis (Dublin Central), Ita Green (Dublin North Central) and Mary Hanafin (Dun Laoghaire).
Three hundred men and women attended and among those who took tables were Kathleen Reynolds, Norma Smurfit and Olive Braiden, former FF Euro candidate and director of the Rape Crisis Centre. Guest speakers were two men - former Commissioner Ray MacSharry and policy director Martin Mansergh.