No FF sanctions for Daly over N.I

KENMARE-BASED Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly is unlikely to face any sanction from his party arising from his part in a controversial party election launch north of the border.

Senator Daly and Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív caused confusion last week when they endorsed a supposed Fianna Fáil candidate for next May’s local elections in Northern Ireland.

Former Sinn Féin and now Independent Councillor Sorcha McAnespy was pictured with Senator Daly and Deputy Ó Cuív alongside a large election poster featuring her picture under the FF logo.

At the launch McAnespy described the Senator and Deputy as her joint campaign managers.

A press release issued after the event declared Cllr McAnespy would be the first candidate to run under the FF banner in Northern Ireland.

However, within hours of the ‘ launch’, Fianna Fáil HQ issued a statement insisting the party – which is still in discussions with the SDLP about a potential merger – had made no decision on contesting the 2019 NI local elections and that Cllr McAnespy was not an official candidate.

Subsequently Cllr McAnespy said she had been told by Micheál Martin, at a meeting last April, that she would be a party candidate next May.

This claim was supported by Ógra Fianna Fáil President Ian Woods, who said he was at the meeting.

The incident led to claims from Fianna Fáil sources that Senator Daly and Deputy Ó Cuív had “gone rogue” or “gone on a solo run”.

Senator Daly said he did nothing wrong and that Fianna Fáil members had voted in 2013 to contest the elections north of the Border in 2019.

“The decision has already been made by the members,” Mr Daly said.

Party leader Micheál Martin is understood to have written to the Senator and Deputy to reprimand them, but senior party sources say it is unlikely either will face party sanctions.