The former mayor of Galway Niall Ó Brolcháin is the Green Party’s nominee for the Seanad vacancy caused by the election of Labour’s Alan Kelly to the European Parliament in June.
Fianna Fáil Louth Councillor James Carroll is expected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Tony Kett.
The deadline for nominations for the vacancies on two of the Seanad’s vocational panels was today. TDs and Senators will vote in the two byelections on December 14th.
A date has yet to be set for a by-election for the third vacancy, caused by the death of Fianna Fáil’s Peter Callanan, from Innishannon, Co Cork.
Senators are elected to represent five different panels set out in the Constitution: cultural and educational, commercial and administrative, agricultural, labour and industrial.
Six Senators are elected by the graduates of the National University of Ireland and the University of Dublin, and 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach.
Mr Ó Brolcháin was nominated for the agriculture panel by Green Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle.
Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan has nominated James Heffernan, a national school teacher and bloodstock breeder, for the same position, while Fine Gael TD Michael Creed has nominated Owen Bannigan, a councillor and farmer.
Voting in the 23rd Seanad elections took place after the general election.
