Cllr John Keogh: One of two Fianna Fáil local election candidates set to be ratified at the party’s selection convention for South Roscommon next Monday.

South Roscommon Fianna Fáil convention set to approve two candidates

Adrian Cusack

Published: Mon 15 May 2023, 7:29 PM

Fianna Fáil is planning to run two candidates in South Roscommon at next year's local elections.

With voting for county council seats taking place in a year's time, the party will be holding its candidate selection convention for the Athlone Local Electoral Area in Roscommon at the Hodson Bay Hotel on Monday next, May 22, at 8pm.

Nominations closed in February, and three names had been put forward: Sitting councillor John Keogh, Brideswell native Malachy Hand, and Athleague's James Murray.

Mr Hand, who ran as a candidate for the party at the last local elections in 2019, told the Westmeath Independent that he declined his nomination on this occasion due to work commitments.

With the party recommending the selection of two candidates, next week's convention is set to result in Cllr Keogh and Mr Murray being ratified without the need for a vote to be taken.

Cllr Keogh, who works as a solicitor and is based in Bealnamulla, was first elected to the council in June 2009. He was subsequently re-elected in 2014 and 2019.

There are six Roscommon County Council seats on offer in the Athlone area, and last time out Fianna Fáil ran three candidates but only secured one seat.

The next local elections are due to be held in May or June of 2024.