Cahill saw off the challenge of former Minister of State Martin Mansergh at a Fianna Fáil selection convention in Thurles on Wednesday night.

He will run in the new combined five seater Tipperary constituency after he won 260 first preference votes at the convention where Mansergh, who served as a research and policy adviser as well a TD for Fianna Fáil, polled the lowest with just 37 votes. Michael Smith junior came second behind Cahill

Cahill is a sitting councillor in the Tipperary County Council where he is leas Cathaoirleach in the Templemore / Thurles municipal district. The current Government must hold a general election no later than 3 April 2016 although rumours are growing that there could be an election before the end of 2015 as support for the Fine Gael and Labour coalition Government grows.