Fine Gael has said it never offered former TD Kate O’Connell a place on its Dublin Bay South general election ticket.
Ms O’Connell announced on Sunday that she would run as an Independent in the constituency that she represented from 2016 to 2020 as a Fine Gael TD, adding that she would not join Dublin lord mayor James Geoghegan on the Fine Gael ticket. She cited concerns over how Fine Gael has overseen the expenditure of public money.
A party spokesperson said that while Ms O’Connell had been considered as an addition to the ticket, she was informed last week that she would not be the party’s candidate.
“The Fine Gael Executive Council approved the addition of councillor Emma Blain to run with councillor James Geoghegan in Dublin Bay South, where we will be aiming to win two seats. Kate O’Connell was not asked to run for Fine Gael in the forthcoming general election,” the spokesperson said.
“Fine Gael HQ was in discussions with her — along with others — about a potential addition. Fine Gael HQ informed Ms O’Connell earlier last week that we would not be considering her further for addition in Dublin Bay South.”
Ms O’Connell said the best way to win a seat and “be true to my values and my principles, the value and principles that I hold dear — is to run Independent”.
It is a turnaround for the former TD, who in April hailed Taoiseach Simon Harris’ election as party leader as “a bit of a restart”.
She had been active for the party in the build-up to the local elections and, according to social media, had attended a public meeting held by Ms Blain just last week.
During the Fine Gael leadership contest in 2017, she sparked controversy when she described Leo Varadkar’s backers as “choirboys” who were “singing for their supper”.
She later would say that her relationship with Mr Varadkar never recovered, despite “her best efforts” and the fact that she has always been loyal to the party.
Ms O’Connell detailed a number of “personalised comments and attacks” that occurred when she was a Fine Gael TD, saying that a faction within the party had made it impossible for her to run in the 2021 by-election.
She recalled one party meeting in which “somebody had actually gone to the effort of getting a sod of turf, putting it into her handbag, and she was going to present it to me in front of people at the meeting”.
Sitting councillor Ms Blain was added to the ticket on Saturday, and a statement issued by the party said that she had been asked by Mr Harris.
“I am delighted to be asked by An Taoiseach Simon Harris to contest the next general election as a candidate for Dublin Bay South,” she said.
Fine Gael does not currently hold a seat in the constituency.
Former housing minister Eoghan Murphy took a seat in 2020 ahead of Ms O’Connell, but announced his departure from politics in April 2021.
Mr Geoghegan contested the by-election the following July and took 26% of the vote, but lost out to now Labour leader Ivana Bacik for the seat.
Ms O’Connell did not respond to a request for comment.
