Pat the Cope Gallagher seeks Fianna Fáil nomination for next General Election

Pat the Cope Gallagher has confirmed he is to seek the Fianna Fáil nomination to be a candidate in the next General Election.

Gallagher, a native of Burtonport, who was first elected as a TD in 1981, says representing his people is in his blood, even since losing this seat four years ago and has been buoyed by the support he has received recently. 

“It was an honour to have been nominated by the party members and I greatly appreciate the support that I have received over the past number of days from right throughout the constituency, and from people of all political persuasions, your support is both encouraging and heartening for me at this time,” he told DonegalLive.

“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. 

“I 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. 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. 

Gallagher, who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 2002 and from 2009 to 2014, believes experience is vital at this time. 

“I have the experience of representing this constituency both at national and European level and that is a massive advantage for this critical time,” he added. “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. 

“This could potentially be an extremely short timespan leading to our candidate selection convention, it may not be possible to reach out to every one of the party’s registered delegates but I seek the support of the delegates in selecting me as their candidate to contest the next General Election.”