Athlone councillor Aengus O'Rourke is unable to contest the Seanad elections - despite canvassing six counties looking for votes. He said last week he'd be running after receiving a nomination, but he says that has fallen through.
Wednesday was the deadline for getting a nomination from an outside body. Councillor O'Rourke ran unsuccessfully in the last Seanad elections - and thought he would get a nomination from the same body this time:
Candidates can also run in the Seanad elections if they get a so-called 'inside nomination' by the end of this month. But Councillor O'Rourke says his bid is over - and he's extremely disappointed: