Former Independent Barry Gallagher one of four candidates to run for Fianna Fáil in south Sligo

OUTGOING Cllr Paul Taylor, Keith Henry, Barry Gallagher and Liam Brennan have been selected (subject to ratification tonight) by Fianna Fáil to run as candidates in the BallymoteTubbercurry Municipal District.

All four will be ratified at tonight’s convention (Thursday) which will be held in Ballymote’s Coach House hotel.

The return of Barry Gallagher from Curry to the Fianna Fáil fold was confirmed by his nomination and when he spoke to the Sligo Weekender, he said he was “from a well-known Fianna Fáil family and I am looking forward to running for the party”.

He said an issue that arose in 2019 which saw him run as an independent community candidate in 2019, was “long resolved”.

As an independent he picked almost half a quota (948 first preference votes), but ultimately failed to get elected; the quota was 2,008 votes in 2019. A hard-working chairman of Curry GAA club for the last ten years, he just recently stepped down from that post and his organisational skills were seen firsthand when he led the club’s ambitious ‘win a house’ draw which generated significant funds for the club.

“I’m involved in the community through the years, I would be strong on sourcing funding through support grants and have assisted applications for many groups through the years. I’m looking forward to contesting the election, we have a young team of helpers and will be out in force in 2024,” he said.

Aged 42, Barry’s married to Elisha, they have two teenage children. An electrician, Barry now runs his own company JBG Security. He is a Director of Sligo LEADER.

First elected in 2014, Paul Taylor is seeking a third term representing what is the largest of Sligo’s three municipal districts. Gurteen based, former intercounty footballer and manager, Cllr Taylor is now seen as one of the veterans of the Fianna Fáil party in the county and has a well-regarded track record in community affairs.

Former councillor Keith Henry was ratified in February 2023 by Fianna Fáil’s National Constituencies Committee as a local area representative for the party.

Henry, who was co-opted onto the Council in 2016, but failed to hold his seat in the 2019 local elections, said in February that his appointment followed requests from Fianna Fáil Cumann in the area for a representative.

Henry, in a statement expressing his delight at the ratification by the Fianna Fáil party, said it was his aim to “try and work for the people and community groups of the area to access funding and schemes to improve their lives and communities".

Henry topped the poll and was the only man elected on the first count at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in October 2022 to serve on the national officer board of the party and Ard Comhairle which is chaired by Tánaiste Micheál Martin. The 30-year-old secondary school teacher, who works in Carrick on Shannon, served as director of elections to his cousin former TD Eamon Scanlon from 2014 to 2020 and replaced him as a Councillor in 2016, serving as Leas Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council for a year.

Expressing gratitude for his nomination, Liam Brennan stated, “I want to thank the local members for nominating me and also wish to thank the Tom Deignan Riverstown Cumann for their nomination.” He also wanted to pay tribute to his colleague, Councillor Martin Baker, for his 20 years of dedicated service to the council – a man he describes as a “decent and honest gentleman who served his community selflessly”. While Mr Baker prepares to bid farewell to the council next June, Liam is hoping to take up the mantle and be a strong voice and representative for his local areas. Brennan is aware that securing Baker’s seat will be a challenge, but it is one he is determined to meet head on.

Married to Angela, with four adult children, he lives in the Castlebaldwin/ Riverstown area and is a native of the nearby Gleann/Geevagh area. Coming from an industrial background, working in the pharmaceutical and polymer industry, he is aware of the importance of the large companies and small businesses that provide employment which will then feed into the local economy. He has been a Fianna Fáil party activist for many years, marked by involvement in various local, general and European elections.