The confirmation follows weeks of speculation.
A midlands TD has announced his intention to run for a seat in European Parliament.
Laois Offaly Fianna Fáil Deputy Barry Cowen is seeking his party's nomination to run in next June's elections.
The former Agriculture Minister will be running in the Midlands North West Constituency, which will soon include the addition of Laois and Offaly, taking it to a five-seater.
He says says his focus will be on the ongoing transition towards sustainability in sectors such as food and farming, energy and enterprise.
Deputy Cowen would also be filling a Fianna Fáil vacancy in the constituency.
He's been a TD for 12 years, and was a councillor for 20 before that.
In a statement to Midlands 103, Deputy Cowen says:
"At a special meeting of the Fianna Fáil organisation in Offaly on Monday night, I notified my colleagues that I plan to put my name forward for selection as a candidate for the European Elections next June.
With the addition of Laois-Offaly into the Midlands-North-West constituency, I feel now is the right time for me to try and deliver for my constituency at a European level, having been a councillor for 20 years and a TD for 12 years.
I will be focused on the ongoing transition led by the EU towards sustainability across many sectors key to our success as an economy - food and farming, energy and enterprise, and making sure Irish views and interests are reflected in EU policies.
Reinstating a seat or seats in this constituency will be important for the party and I believe I can deliver that having successfully contested many elections with a strong network and family history of pro-European public service.
I am honoured at the support from the Fianna Fáil organisation, locally and nationally, for me to pursue the nomination and seek to win back a seat for Fianna Fáíl in the Midlands-North-West constituency."
Finance Minister Michael McGrath thinks he's a strong name to put forward for Europe:
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