Carrickmacross native Matt Carthy to stand for Sinn Féin in European elections

Carrickmacross native Matt Carthy has announced that he will contest the upcoming European elections in May this year.

Carthy, who is the Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands-North West constituency has also been selected to run in the Dáil for the Cavan/Monaghan constituency and was not expected to contest the European elections this year.

His decision to seek election in Europe could mean that Carthy would be potentially elected to Europe before vacating his seat early in the first year term if he is elected as a TD for Cavan/Monaghan.

In a statement issued by Carthy he stated that he would be seeking his party’s nomination at an upcoming selection convention taking place in Cavan on Sunday 3rd of February.

His statement said: "The May elections could be the most important EU contests ever for our country.  

"Brexit will continue to dominate. With the potential loss of northern representation in parliament it is vital that we send representatives from an all-Ireland party, a party that has a proven track record of inserting Irish concerns into the heart of the Brexit process, we need representatives that won't be beholden to either the Brussels establishment or the Irish government. 

"In essence we need MEPs who will fight for Ireland.  That has been my role and I wish to continue that work in the new term."

Mr Carthy was first elected to Carrickmacross Town Council as a 21-year-old in 1999 and he served on Monaghan County Council from 2004 until 2014.

He became an MEP in the 2014 European elections with his constituency office based in Carrickmacross Co. Monaghan.