Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice is facing competition from another group of rural TDs who are also planning to form their own party.

In the wake of Mr Fitzmaurice’s call for a new party to represent farmers and rural Ireland, it can be revealed that a group of TDs have already begun putting a party together to focus on housing, health, farming and community issues.

Independent rural TDs Richard O’Donoghue, Michael Collins and Mattie McGrath have held a number of meetings with councillors in Cork, Galway, Cavan, Monaghan and Limerick.

The new party does not yet have a name or a leader.

Mr O’Donoghue said the new party would “100pc welcome” Mr Fitzmaurice if he wanted to join, but added that they had not approached him.

Their focus for now is the upcoming local elections, in which they aim to run candidates in 20 constituencies.

They have already secured former Fianna Fáil and now Independent Cavan councillor Shane P O’Reilly, who formally joined the Rural Independent Group and looks set to run in the next general election as a representative of the new party.

The three TDs are also targeting other sitting Dáil deputies and believe they can get as many as eight on board.

“We want candidates all around the country and we’ve been talking to a number of candidates,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

Mr McGrath said the discussions taking place about the new party might mean it could work best as a political grouping, similar to the Rural Independent TD grouping already in place.

“The whip system has failed and the political system has failed,” he said. “But it can’t be just anti-green and pro-rural. It needs proper functioning structures.”

Mr Collins said the group would be “stepping up efforts in the next few weeks” and there was an “opening” for a new party.

“We don’t want to be like some TDs – shouting, roaring and doing nothing.”

He said the main focus of the party would be housing, health and, especially, agriculture.

“Farming is facing a huge crisis and the dairy sector facing wipe-out. There is a continuous attack on people who are trying to put it right,” he said.

Mr Collins said the party would be “up and running” by the local elections next year.

Mr Fitzmaurice said he would be open to talking to the three TDs about the party but added that he did not want to lead it.

The Roscommon-South Leit- rim TD said he would not be running for the Dáil again unless a new rural-focused party was formed.

He has made moves towards putting together a policy document for a new party and said he was in discussions with other politicians, business organisations and groups in rural areas. After the policy document is drawn up, he said, there should be moves to “try and get together” a group of people to form a party.

“But those people would decide that, not for me to decide that,” he added.

The party should be focused on rural Ireland, back farming, rural business, small towns and villages.

“It could have 15 or 20 seats – if you look at rural areas, it could be possible to fight for that many seats,” Mr Fitzmaurice said.