Senate seat an outside chance for McHugh

FORMER Mayor of Co Galway and unsuccessful general election candidate Cllr Tom McHugh says that it is difficult to predict how he will do in the Senate elections and he feels that 'at best' he has a 4/1 or 5/1 chance of taking a seat.[private] 'To be honest, I just don't know as there are 19 Fine Gael candidates for four seats on the Industrial and Commercial panel and I am one of those. So there will be lots of counts and a lot of transfers will be required to take these seats,' says Cllr McHugh. He is one of 12 candidates from Co Galway seeking seats in the current Seanad elections. They should all know their fates before the end of the week. The other Galway candidates are Fine Gael Cllrs Peter Feeney and Michael Mullins, outgoing Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames and Independent Senator Ronan Mullen. Labour have nominated unsuccessful General Election candidate Lorraine Higgins from Athenry. Fianna Fail's Connemara Co Councillor Seamus Walsh and Sinn Fein's Trevor O Clochartaigh are also among the nominees. The Greens' Niall O Brolchain who was unsuccessful in getting a seat on Galway City Council last time out and also unsuccessful in the last two General Elections is another Senate candidate. Another candidate is Loughrea Cllr Pat Hynes, NUIG Law Lecturer Donncha O Connell and outgoing Independent Senator Ronan Mullen from Ahascragh. He is tipped by many to retain his seat and has run a high-profile campaign.[/private]