Lenihan ‘going home’ in bid for seat in dad’s old constituency

FORMER junior minister Conor Lenihan is seeking to stand for Fianna Fáil in the new Roscommon- East Galway constituency, and despite surprise in the area at the revelation, the former Dublin TD believes a momentum is building behind him.

He is one of the old guard of the party, along with Mary Hanafin and Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher, returning to the fray and hoping they will not be tainted by association with the economic collapse under the party.

The brother of former finance minister Brian has a long political pedigree, including his father Brian Lenihan Snr and aunt midlands matriarch Mary O’Rourke.

Brian Snr famously moved from the Roscommon constituency to Dublin West in the 1977 General Election, and Conor, former deputy for Dublin South West, would effectively be going home a generation later.

But while he appears to have the crucial backing of party headquarters, some questions are being raised among the local party faithful. One source in the area said he’d have a better chance than many believe.

‘Conor may yet get through the convention, he is different and high-profile and some influential people here want him in,’ said the insider.

However, the Fianna Fáil Mayor of Roscommon Paddy Kilduff mused: ‘I don’t believe Conor Lenihan just arrived here without any prompting from party headquarters. That doesn’t just happen.

‘There will be 700 to 800 people voting from Roscommon-Galway and I cannot predict what will happen. There are other potential candidates, Councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice, Eugene Murphy and young Alan Kelly.’

Mr Kilduff added: ‘It could well be that somebody approached him. But he rang me to meet him and I thought it would be courteous to go and meet him.’

Mr Lenihan has already revealed he had been approached by figures from the Roscommon area of the constituency, and last night he told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘I’ve had contacts from the Galway part of the constituency.’