Pat the Cope Gallagher has confirmed he is to seek the Fianna Fáil nomination to stand in the next General Election.
The former TD and MEP has said he will seek to “fill the vacuum in representation that exists at present” for Donegal in Dail Eireann.
The 76-year-old, who lost his seat in Leinster House in February, 2020, told Donegal Daily that he wants to return to politics as it has been his “entire life’s work.”
Earlier this month it was revealed that there were six candidates seeking the Fianna Fail nomination including Minister Charlie McConalogue, Senator Niall Blaney, Councillor Donal Mandy Kelly, Councillor Michael Naughton, Ben Harkin of Termon Ogra and Pat the Cope Gallagher.
Brushing aside his veteran status, Burtonport man Gallagher said “I have the same drive, energy and tenacity now as I had when I first entered politics, but most importantly I have the desire and appetite to do the job.
He added that he was honoured to have been nominated by the party members in recent weeks.
He also said he greatly appreciated the support he had received over the past number of days from right throughout the constituency, and from people of all political persuasions.
He said “Your support is both encouraging and heartening for me at this time.”
And he added “Since losing my seat in 2020, I have maintained an active role in representing the people of the county and continued to work for the constituency to the very best of my ability.
“Politics has been my entire life’s work and I am seeking the support of the party members to afford me the opportunity to contest the next General Election, so that I can continue to represent the constituency, our communities and the people of Donegal once more in Dáil Eireann.”
Gallagher said he will “seek to fill the vacuum in representation that exists at present and in so doing I wish to further strengthen the team that represents Donegal in Dáil Eireann after the next General Election.”
He also added that he was under no illusion about the challenges ahead but that he is ready once again to help his community and county.
He said “Numerous challenges, pressures and burdens are experienced by our communities, by our families and individuals at this time, and in order to tackle these challenges we need a combination of experience and determination to get the job done and solve the problems we face on a daily basis.
“I have the experience of representing this constituency both at national and European level and that is a massive advantage for this critical time.”
And he said he was now seeking to reach out to all Fianna Fail delegates to consider him as their candidate for the next election.
He concluded “This could potentially be an extremely short timespan leading to our candidate selection convention, it may not be possible to reach out to everyone of the party’s registered delegates but I seek the support of the delegates in selecting me as their candidate to context the next General Election.”
