Sean Dunnion withdraws name from chair race giving Mary Coughlan a clear run

Sean Dunnion had told DonegalLive he won’t be seeking a second stint as Donegal GAA chairperson. 

With Cieran Kelly also dropping out of the race on Wednesday afternoon, those withdrawals mean Mary Coughlan is now the sole nominee going before Convention to succeed Fergus McGee. 

Coughlan is a former Tánaiste and Minister for Agriculture and has already confirmed to DonegalLive this week that she will be allowing her name to go forward at Convention, which takes place in Jackson’s Hotel, Ballybofey on December 13.

When contacted by DonegalLive on Thursday morning, Dunnion had the following to say: 

“I would like to thank the clubs that nominated me for the position of county chairperson and also thank those that encouraged me to consider it strongly over the past couple of weeks. 

However, I have decided not to let my name go forward to county convention and I will be happy to support the remaining candidate for the position, Mary Coughlan, if I’m returned to the county management committee for 2024. 

“My hope is that I get that support to retain my position as Donegal's representative on Central Council and complete the last year of my five-year term”.