The main job on the first day of the 34th Dáil is to elect the Ceann Comhairle and Leas Ceann Comhairle which will be closely watched here in Tipperary.
Fianna Fail’s Ryan O’Meara won a seat in Tipperary North at his first attempt and Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy took the second seat in Tipp South in the general election.
They will join Michael Lowry and Alan Kelly – and Mattie McGrath and Seamus Healy as the Tipperary representatives in the national legislature.
There is no government yet but the first duty of the 34th Dáil is to elect a new Ceann Comhairle.
If Fianna Fail and Fine Gael heed Tipp TD Michael Lowry’s call to support Verona Murphy for the €250,000 a year job it’s a sure sign that the two bigger parties want to go into coalition with the Region Independents.
That’s potentially good news for County Tipp as it means more influence for Deputy Lowry who’s understood to be the de facto leader of the technical group.
He was described last Friday in Templemore as their ‘convener’ by the Taoiseach Simon Harris and someone who would likely represent them at the now traditional Monday night leaders meetings where the issues facing the outgoing coalition were sorted out.
