The Irexit Freedom to Prosper party has been accused of inventing election candidates.

Two local newspapers in Killarney were informed via a press release that the party had confirmed Mairead Donovan, a 72-year-old retired nurse, as its candidate in the upcoming local elections.

It has since emerged that Mairead Donovan does not actually exist, and that the picture being used on her profile on the Irexit website was in fact a stock image.

The web page has since been removed.

Aaron Rogan, Senior Reporter with the Times Ireland, and Hermann Kelly, founder of Irexit Freedom to Prosper, joined us to explain why this happened.