Two candidates expected to be named for Cork East constituency at Fine Gael selection convention 

Two candidates for the next general election are expected to emerge from tomorrow evening’s Fine Gael selection convention for the Cork East constituency.

It is understood that only two nominees are likely to go before the convention, which will be held at 8pm on Friday evening in the Carrigtwohill Community Centre.

The party is expected to select both to be candidates to contest the next general election, one in the north of the constituency and one in the south.

The two nominees are Cobh-born and Fermoy-based sitting councillor Noel McCarthy and Midleton-based Mark Stanton, who is the son of outgoing Cork East Fine Gael TD David Stanton.

David Stanton, who was first elected in Cork East in 1997 and has been re-elected in every subsequent election, announced in May of 2023 that he would not be standing at the next election.

Mark Stanton is a former president of the University College Cork Students’ Union.

Noel McCarthy was first elected to Cork County Council for the Labour Party in 2009, and was re-elected, topping the poll in the Fermoy local electoral area at a time of great unpopularity for the Labour Party which was then in government, in 2014.

In December of 2015, Mr McCarthy announced that he would be running in the next general election for Fine Gael, which occurred in February of 2016, but was unsuccessful and did not contest the subsequent 2020 general election.

Speaking to The Echo ahead of the convention, Carrigtwohill-based Fine Gael county councillor Anthony Barry said he was expecting two candidates to be selected at the convention, but he did not know whether the party might add another name to the ticket.

“There may be a directive from party headquarters to add another candidate as well on the night, but we’ll see how that goes,” Mr Barry said.

There has been some speculation in the constituency that sitting county councillor Sinead Sheppard might be added.

Ms Sheppard said she hadn’t put her name forward for selection as she had only last month been re-elected and her priority at the moment was her work with Cork County Council.