Fine Gael sets wheels in motion for historic Laois General Election pick

The wheels are finally officially moving on Fine Gael's plans to contest the new Laois three-seat constituency at the next General Election which will be historic for the party.

The party's outgoing TD Charlie Flanagan has confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that the convention to select candidates will take place on Thursday, September 5 with the likely venue to be in Portlaoise.

He outlined that the Party's Executive Council would decide the number of candidates. The Council is the party's senior executive body which takes core organisational decisions and is elected at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis.

Dep Flanagan also confirmed that nominations would be open shortly. He added that candidates or candidates would be in place for the National Ploughing Championships. This year's ploughing match takes place in Ratheniska from September 17-19.

Cllr Conor Bergin is understood to be the front-runner in the race to be selected to represent the Fine Gael in the election which looks set to take place in November 2024. He was a poll-topping candidate in the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District.

Long-time county councillor for Portlaoise, Willie Aird is also a potential candidate. He topped the poll at the local elections in the Portlaoise Municipal District electoral area.

Another name in the mix is newly elected Cllr Vivienne Phelan. She took the final seat in the Graigucullen Portarlington Municipal District at the expense of incumbent Fine Gael councillor PJ Kelly.

Thomasina Connell had hoped to be selected especially since she contested in 2016 when Laois was in a three seat constituency with parts of south Kildare. The odds on her making the cut have drifted significantly given her failure to retain her Laois County Council seat in the Portlaoise area. MORE BELOW PICTURE

Counting votes in Portlaoise.

Regardless of who is selected the change will be historic for Fine Gael as it brings the curtain down on the Flanagan name in Laois politics dating by back to the 1940s.

Charlie Flanagan has served as a Fine Gael TD for Laois between 1987 and 2002 and from 2007 to the present day. He announced in 2023 that he would not stand at the next General Election. The Mountmellick native also served on Laois County Council.

His father Oliver J Flanagan was first elected to Laois County Council in 1942 and elected to the Dáil in 1943 on the Monetary Reform Association ticket. He would later join Fine Gael and represent the party in the Dáil from 1952 to 1987. 

Both father and son served as Ministers in Fine Gael-led Governments.