LAST UPDATE | 6 Sep 2024

 TELEVISION PRESENTER GRÁINNE Seoige has been named as one of Fianna Fáil’s general election candidates in Galway West.

Galway City Councillor John Connolly has also been selected to contest for a seat in the constituency. He is a school principal and has been a councillor since 2019.

The selection follows three other nominees having withdrawn from the race, leaving a clear path for Seoige and Connolly.

Seoige is the second figure from the media who Fianna Fáil has named as a candidate in the upcoming general election after former Sky News presenter and local journalist Alison Comyn was selected to contest the Louth constituency last month.

The Journal reported last week that selecting people from the media is a key election strategy for Fianna Fáil ahead of the general election and that party leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin had told members to identify potential ‘celebrity candidates’.

Outgoing TD for the constituency, Éamon Ó Cuív, who is not seeking re-election, had confirmed that Seoige intended to put her name forward.

In her long career in broadcasting, Seoige has worked in TG4, RTÉ, Sky News and more recently on Virgin Media One.

“As a proud Connemara woman this locality is not just where I’m from, it is a part of who I am. This community has shaped me and I have brought my Galwayness with me wherever I have gone all over the world,” Seoige said after the selection this evening.

She said there are “serious challenges” to be dealt with in the areas of housing, planning, infrastructure, healthcare, education and rural development.

Connolly said he would “work tirelessly” to gain a seat and that his priorities include housing, transport for Galway and healthcare infrastructure.

Additional reporting by Christina Finn, Jane Matthews and Lauren Boland