Fine Gael selects Carroll MacNeill and Ward to contest Dún Laoghaire

Fine Gael has selected Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Senator Barry Ward to contest the next general election in Dún Laoghaire.

MacNeill was promoted to Minister of State for European Affairs as well as Defence following Simon Harris’ ascension to Taoiseach in April, while Ward was elected to the Seánad after losing out in the 2020 general election.

Fine Gael had an exceptionally strong set of local election results in MacNeill’s local constituency of Killiney-Shankhill, securing 33.2% of first preferences among their three successful candidates.

In Ward’s local constituency of Blackrock, the party went one better by picking up 38.8% of first preferences and getting their three candidates elected.

Fine Gael ran three candidates in the 2020 general election in Dún Laoghaire but only got Carroll MacNeill elected with Fine Gael’s two other candidates, Mary Mitchell O’Connor and Barry Ward, losing out.

Fine Gael opting to run two indicates is an indication the party’s election strategy will be focused on enhancing the votes of existing candidates instead of trying to distribute them across multiple candidates, a strategy which backfired for Sinn Féin in June.

Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said, “I am very grateful to the Fine Gael members in Dún Laoghaire for selecting me as a candidate for the next general election.”

“Since being first elected to the Dáil in 2020 they have encouraged, supported and backed me in my role as TD and Minister.”

“It is an absolute honour to work hard for the constituency and represent the views of the people, our communities and our local businesses in Leinster House and internationally,” she said.

“I look forward to engaging with everyone and to ask for their number one vote to return me as their TD for the second time.”

She said that Fine Gael would be looking to “maximise every single vote we can get to deliver two seats in Dún Laoghaire.”

“However, until any election campaign can kick off there is much work to be done in Government and in my role as TD and Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence,” she added.

Ward said he was “delighted” to have been selected by Fine Gael members.

“I will be working extremely hard with my running mate to ensure Fine Gael wins two seats when polling day comes around.”

“We have a good strong team here and we need to turn that into Dáil seats,” he said.

Fine Gael targeting and potentially winning two seats in Dún Laoghaire is key to them returning to government, but a strong Fine Gael vote in this constituency is likely to put the squeeze on Green Minister and coalition partner Ossian Smyth.

The Greens held relatively well on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council in June, but Smyth’s Dún Laoghaire constituency, the Green share of the vote tumbled from 20.1% of first preferences to 11.2%.

Writing in the Irish Times last week, Dún Laoghaire TD Paul Murphy said that Fine Gael would be happy to ditch the Greens as a coalition partner and “ditch them for independents.”