The party 's third choice was the former civil rights campaigner Austin Currie , a new TD and former minister in Brian Faulkner 's power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland from 1973-1974 . The party ultimately nominated the former civil rights campaigner Austin Currie , a respected new TD and former minister in Brian Faulkner 's power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland from 1973 â `` 74 .