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FIANNA FÁIL HAVE selected former RTÉ presenter Cynthia Ní Mhurchú as a candidate in the Ireland South constituency in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections.
She will stand alongside sitting Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher in contesting the five-seat constituency in June this year.
A former schoolteacher, Ní Mhurchú has worked as a journalist radio presenter and is currently a barrister. The Carlow native is perhaps best known for co-hosting the 1994 ‘Riverdance’ Eurovision Song Contest with Gerry Ryan in Dublin.
Ní Mhurchú described her selection as a “great honour” in a statement today.
“I have reached a stage in my professional life where I believe my extensive experience, broad skillset and personal qualities would be an asset to the European Parliament,” she said.
“I have a proven track record in education, media & communications and law and am deeply committed to the Irish Language, culture and arts.”
She said that if elected, she intends to focus on increased regional development, “along with fighting for a just transition for Ireland, as we strive to reach our carbon targets in the years ahead”.
“I also have a particular interest in both Family Law and internet safety for all, but especially for our young people,” she added.
Fianna Fáil’s director of elections, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, said Ní Mhurchú was “an excellent addition to the Ireland South ticket”.
“Cynthia is a very accomplished candidate, who brings a wealth of experience to the campaign,” he said, adding that she “would make a great MEP for the region”.
Her fellow Fianna Fáil candidate Billy Kelleher said: “Cynthia is an incredibly intelligent and articulate person who I know shares the same vision as I do: keeping Ireland at the Heart of Europe.”
“I believe Cynthia and I will make a very strong team for Fianna Fáil,” he said.
This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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RTE and Fianna Fáil .. sure what could go wrong .
These are the type of politicians Ireland does not need .
@BL Music: Former school teacher and currently a Barrister.
I wouldn’t be voting FF but her qualifications are hardly just RTE
@Tricia G: It’s a long time since she was in RTE too.
@Cornelius Paul O Mahony: She was headhunted by Haughey’s bagman PJ Mara in the early 1990′s and has always had leanings towards FF. Looking for a cushy retirement. FF candidates may be stale at this stage but parachuting an ex z-lister from RTE has to be seen as desperation personified and a right kick in the teeth to stalwarts of the FF party.
@Tricia G: The last of those “qualifications” should disqualify her on its own.
@Tricia G: School Teacher..? That’s a big minus for me.. we’ve a history in this state.. which continues.. that we have a very unhealthy amount of school teachers in the Dail.. and is it any wonder.. ? Being able to snap up a tds/ministerial salary and pension whilst keeping their teaching posts open and topping up their teachers pensions at the same time..Teachers have consistently been the largest professional group in the Dail.. its a joke . Not to mention the fact you end up with leaders like MM … who talks down to people like pupils in his class when challenged on anything..
@Brian: Lawyers too.
The lowest of the low.
@Mr Inbetween: Really she’s 58 so in the early 90s she would be only early 20s and working as a teacher.
What exactly was she headhunted for?
Seems very young to be headhunted.
@BL Music: Another massive exit package on the way. I hope nobody neglects to recall if anyone was present when it will be approved.
@Cornelius Paul O Mahony: Read the newspapers, she said it in an interview, fact.
@Mr Inbetween: Bit ambiguous what newspaper what year and what interview.
Facts are usually stated with links even written ones
@Cornelius Paul O Mahony: Check out today’s Indo, I’m not posting the link because I don’t subscribe to their online platform but do check it out smarty pants!
Great to see all these people so concerned for young people in ireland who will never own a house, afford to have kids, have jobs that can barely keep heads above water financially. Btw does the EU have flip flop parties?
RTE and FFG seem to be interchangeable!
@Liz Dunning: Ooooh, that’s not a popular position Liz.
By the way, you never answered my previous question: which party’s PR expense account pay you?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: “Anyone with an opinion that I don’t like must be getting paid to have it” – a useful reply to have in the back pocket for those frequent times when you find yourself all out of answers.
And they say that RTE has no political influence
Isn’t the rose of tralee girl ‘flavour of the month’ anymore???
@Ken Mc Carthy: wtf is that supposed to mean?
@Ken Mc Carthy: The fact that’s she’s in a different constituency might have something to do with that ya clown
Does she not have any standards?
@Mike 100: Oh, she does.
But if the party owners don’t like them, she’ll get others.
(With apologies to Groucho Marx.)
Rte and FF Yaaaaa that’s more of it
@M G: Some people are always jealous of other peoples achievements. There are so many GreenEyed monsters in this Emerald Isle. Ár agaidh lé Mná ná Éireann.
former teacher, RTE, Fianna Fail, we get what we keep voting for and deserve
@D McK: Barrister. But don’t let that get in the way of a good old-fashioned rant
Parachuted in by FF in the hope that her “celebrity” name will pick up a few votes.The rank and file in FF wont be happy with the latest “blow in”getting the nomination. Then again who cares, she hasn’t a hope in hell.
@carol mullen: “celebrity name” 5minutes on Eurovision 30 years ago,
Celebrity’s must be scarce if this is what FF srag in.
Be the holy hurling jaysis… another ex school teacher , hand picked fianna fail candidate with an rte background …. what could go wrong
It is probably more relevant that she is a barrister than that she was on the telly years ago.
I personally would prefer a telly presenter to a barrister. We know that telly presenters know very little and they probably know this themselves whereas barristers think they know something and project this but I think they know little or nothing.
@Padraig O’Brien: And therein shows the rapid descent of the Irish political landscape – people would prefer talking heads with a few sound bytes over an accomplished professional with a deep understanding of the law, for a European parliament role at that.
@Padraig O’Brien :Well said that gave me a good chuckle, love the satire which seems to have gone over some peoples head :-)
So a FF EU candidate can earn more than a Barrister?, but if she stayed in RTE she would be rolling in ..it
@Terry Molloy: A SF MEP earns just as much as a FF one, just for the sake of clarity.
No comment!
Get it into ya, Cynthia!
Is Michael Flatley not available?
Could they not have chosen someone from MUNSTER,at least.They don’t have to be from CORK SPECIFICALLY.!!!!!!!
@Elizabeth Doyle: Don’t forget she co-presented Eurovision albeit 30 years ago, surely that’s enough to get her snout into the trough.
@Denis Ryan: ah yeah, I ‘have’ her now….. eurovision with jery Ryan!!
@Elizabeth Doyle: huh
And yet the usual suspects on here will tell ya that RTE and the FFG circus show arent all on big happy cronyism family……sure if they really want the best RTE has to offer, id say get dustin on the ticket, hes a puppet which is a big upgrade from the current muppets in the dail
I hope unlike Gerry Ryan Mickey D leo Hildegard that she never broke the law by taking wacky backy..
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