Louth manager asked to run for Fine Gael

Gaelic football manager Peter Fitzpatrick has been approached by Fine Gael to run as a candidate in the Louth constituency.

The Louth boss has been asked to run on Fine Gael education spokesman Fergus O’Dowd’s ticket.

"He was approached over the last few days. He'd be a Fine Gael supporter," a Fine Gael source has said.

The 48-year-old, who runs electrical shops in Dundalk, took over as Louth manager in late 2009 and led the Wee County to the Leinster Final last year.

He wouldn’t be the first prominent GAA figure to run for Fine Gael – John O’Mahony was elected in Mayo in 2007 and continued as manager of the county for a further three years.

Louth is set to be a hotly contested constituency, with Gerry Adams running for Sinn Fein and Dermot Ahern’s replacement for Fianna Fail yet to be named.