Colm Keaveney, previously a TD for the Labour and Fianna Fáil parties, has removed his candidacy from the local elections, facing allegations of driving while under cocaine influence. The Galway County Council member, who started his term in 2019, has communicated his decision to Fianna Fáil.
The party has announced that incumbent councillors Mary Hoade, Donagh Killilea, and Joe Sheridan will advance in the Tuam electoral area, alongside a fourth candidate, Tom Quirke.
Keaveney initially entered the Dáil as a Labour candidate in 2011 and subsequently shifted to being an Independent, before affiliating with Fianna Fáil in 2013. Although he forfeited his Dáil seat in 2016, he was selected as a Fianna Fáil candidate in the 2019 Galway County Council elections, where the party secured four out of seven seats in the Tuam area.
The 53-year-old councillor, whose residence is in Kilcreevanty, faces legal charges for reportedly driving under the influence of cocaine. Allegedly, this violation took place on June 12th of last year at Cummer in Tuam, Co Galway. It’s specified that the amount of the metabolised cocaine (Benzoylecgonine) in Keaveney’s blood exceeded the legal limit, thereby breaking the 2010 Road Traffic Act.
The case initially surfaced before the courts in January and was presided over again last week, neither of which saw the councillor present. The case is scheduled to continue in Tuam District Court on June 11th, for a plea or to set a hearing date.