Former Fine Gael TD Noel Rock is making a bid to return to the Dáil as he announced he wants to run for the party in Dublin North-West in the looming general election
Mr Rock lost his seat in the constituency in 2020 and subsequently set up a lobbying company.
This was later sold to Red Flag Consulting group where he became director of public affairs.
Now he is seeking to return to the political fray in three-seat Dublin North-West constituency which has been difficult territory for Fine Gael in recent decades.
In 2016 he defied a poor Fine Gael showing in that election by winning a seat in the constituency that had not had a TD from the party in 20 years.
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Once formally selected by Fine Gael he will enter an electoral battleground where incumbent TDs Dessie Ellis of Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil’s Paul McAuliffe are seeking to hold their seats.
Outgoing Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall is retiring from politics and academic Rory Hearne is in the race in an attempt to keep Ms Shortall’s seat for the party.
In a statement on Friday Mr Rock confirmed he will put his name forward for the Fine Gael selection convention in the constituency.
He is not expected to be opposed at the convention.
Mr Rock said that during his time as a TD he “fought hard to bring positive changes to our community - and I’m ready to continue that work.”
He said his “top priority is to ensure the creation of a Department of Infrastructure to focus on the big projects that Dublin desperately needs, including MetroLink and the extension of the Luas to Finglas which I advocated for throughout my time as a TD.”
Ahead of the last general election, Mr Rock said he lost 20 per cent of his voters “at the stroke of a pen” after a previous boundary redraw.
Last year’s constituency review saw Dublin North-West lose Santry and parts of Finglas – just over 15,000 people – to the new Dublin Fingal West constituency and just under 2,300 more to Dublin West.
Some 12,674 from Beaumont – which had been in Dublin Bay North – will make up for some of that population loss.
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