Laois European Election voters will get to see candidates debate on RTÉ

Candidates hoping to represent Laois in the European Parliament will get a chance to make their pitch to voters nationally as part of RTÉ's coverage of the European Elections.

RTÉ has announced details of its coverage across digital, TV and Radio in the run up to the European Parliament Elections on Friday, June 7. 

RTÉ will host three major live television debates on the European Elections across three weeks in the lead up to polling day. Presenters Katie Hannon, Miriam O'Callaghan, Sarah McInerney and Fran McNulty will host the TV debates.  

They begin on Monday,  May 20 when Upfront with Katie Hannon  will focus on the Midlands North-West constituency. There is no Laois based candidate but Barry Cowen is a sitting Laois Offaly TD who is hoping to win one of the five seats in the big constituency. He is just one one of the 28 candidates in the race.

Laois voters will vote alongside other midland counties as well as those in Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Leitrim as well as the border counties and across to  

Apart from Laois and Offaly, the constituency comprises the counties of Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath; and the city of Galway.

A record 28 candidates have declared with nominations have now closed. The sitting MEPs are independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Sinn Féin’s Chris McManus, and Maria Walsh and Colm Markey from Fine Gael. All but Mr Markey are running again to be a voice of 14 counties in Europe.

The candidates are:

• Maria Walsh Fine Gael
• Nina Carberry Fine Gael
• Niall Blaney Fianna Fáil
• Lisa Chambers Fianna Fáil
• Barry Cowen Fianna Fáil
• Chris McManus Sinn Féin
• Michelle Gildernew Sinn Féin
• Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan Independent
• Dr. Gerry Waters Independent
• John Waters Independent
• Peter Casey Independent
• Saoirse McHugh Independent
• Michelle Smith Independent
• Stephen Garland Independent
• Daniel Pocock Independent
• Charlotte Keegan Independent
• Pauline O’Reilly Green Party
• Peadar Tóibín Aontú
• Brian O’Boyle People Before Profit
• Rory Hearne Social Democrats
• James Reynolds The National Party
• Justin Barrett The National Party
• Carolyn Fahy The Party for Animal Welfare
• Ciaran Mullooly Independent Ireland
• Anthony Cahill The Irish People
• Hermann Kelly The Irish Freedom Party
• Margaret Alacoque Maguire Ireland First
• Fergal Landy Labour Party

RTÉ's other coverage of the constituencies includes a Prime Time Election Debate on Thursday,  May 30 that will focus on the Ireland South constituency. The final of RTÉ's major TV debate of the campaign will see candidates in the Dublin constituency feature on a  Prime Time  Election Debate  on Tuesday 4th June.  

With over 20 candidates in each constituency and more than 70 across the three European constituencies, RTÉ says it has set criteria for inviting candidates to the debates to ensure they are as informative and coherent as possible to best serve the audience.  The station says the criteria will see a maximum of eight candidates in each of the above television debates. 

In addition, RTÉ will broadcast a live TV special from Limerick for the first ever Mayoral Election. Upfront with Katie Hannon will be broadcast live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Monday 27th May.