The Clare Echo 04/04/19 (Local Election Guide 2019)

48

CONTENTS P3-9: p10-11: P12-16: P17-19: P20-23:

ENNIS ENNISTYMON KILLALOE KILRUSH SHANNON

ELECTION DAY May 24

BALLOT COUNT May 25

SEATS AVAILABLE ENNIS 7 ENNISTYMON 4 KILLALOE 5 KILRUSH 5 SHANNON 7

CONFIRMED CANDIDATES

Edited by Stuart Holly WORDS BY PÁRAIC McMAHON Graphics by Shane Gilligan

VOTE No. 1 VOTE No. 1

Cllr. Clare

Cllr. Clare Colleran Molloy Local Election Candidate | Ennis Colleran Molloy Clare County Council Local Election Candidate | Ennis Clare County Council

Please continue your preference for

Cllr. Pat Daly & Mark Nestor Please continue your preference for

Cllr. Pat Daly & Mark Nestor

ENNIS LEA

4

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

PARTY

PARTY

PARTY

PARTY

Cllr Johnny Flynn

Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy

Seamus Ryan

Chris Kirwan

Fine Gael

Fianna Fáil

Independent

Social Democrats

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

Civil Engineer / County Councillor

T

EN years since his first election to Clare County Council, Johnny Flynn is hoping to complete a three in a row when the votes are counted on May 25. In his two Council election attempts, Flynn was elected on the first count in 2009 (Ennis East) and was the third candidate to win a seat in 2014.

Prior to that the civil engineer and former Chief Fire Officer served five years on the now defunct Ennis Town Council. He is very proud of his involvement in assisting Dublin Coach secure a licence into Ennis creating hourly access to Bunratty, Limerick City, UL and Dublin via bus. Over the course of this term, he has called for a town bus system to be set up in Clare’s county town and more recently for a 24 hour Accident and Emergency Unit to be reopened at Ennis General Hospital.

Johnny is active on Project Teams that have delivered Scoil Chríost Rí Cloughleigh €6million development, CBS Ennis €10million development under construction and working for Knockanean School development.

He supports the implementation of policy changes in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals to help Clare reduce its carbon footprint and Ennis to become a Green Tech town.

The father of four declined a request from his party to contest the 2016 General Election instead opting to stay local, as their biggest vote getter in the area.

Barrister / County Councillor

B

EING Fianna Fáil’s first ever female councillor in Clare is a piece of history that can never be taken away from Clare Colleran

Molloy.

The same cannot be said for her seat on the Council as like every candidate in the Ennis Municipal District, if she doesn’t receive enough votes, her time as a local representative will come to an end.

Just three votes separated Clare and Ger O’Halloran in winning the final seat five years ago.

The redrawing of the electoral area has taken her native Quin and neighbouring parishes of Clooney and Spancilhill from the Ennis MD which will have an impact on her support base.

However since 2014, Colleran Molloy has strengthened her popularity and has made the position of Mayor of Ennis her own in the last year. Clare is regularly seen campaigning to help increase the profile of local fundraising events throughout the District while also contributing to on-the-ground fundraising efforts.

She contested the 2016 General Election where she was eliminated on the sixth count but her transfers ensured Timmy Dooley was the first TD elected.

Supporting victims of domestic abuse has been a recent motion flagged by Colleran Molloy in the Council Chamber. A qualified barrister, Clare comes from a family of fourteen and is the sister of well-known journalist Ger Colleran.

Librarian

I

T’S not Last of the Mohicans but instead Last of Labour as Seamus Ryan is the party’s only declared candidate in the entire county.

It has been a difficult five years for Labour, the 2016 General Election ranked among the worst in its 107 year history and came five years after its best ever. On that occassion, 18 TDs failed to be reelected, among them Clare’s Michael McNamara.

The local elections were no different as none of its five candidates were elected, while sitting councillor Pascal Fitzgerald lost his seat.

Meanwhile, Seamus was eliminated on the fourth count in 2014. The Ennis librarian will have read up on how to build his voting base and will be determined to have a better outcome this time round.

One of the last children to be born at the County Hospital in Ennis, the Moy native was one of the county’s most prominent campaigners for Repeal in last year’s Eighth Amendement referndum.

The Chair of the Clare Health and Local Government Branch of Forsa Trade Union has called on the Post Office Field to be protected from development and for the start of community bike scheme in the town.

Law Student at NUIG

I

F COMPLETING his final year of studies wasn’t enough pressure, Chris Kirwan is also vying to become a county councillor.

As it stands, he is the youngest candidate running in the Ennis Municipal District.

A St Flannan’s College graduate, Chris has pinpointed housing, mental health and climate change as his key themes in his first election campaign. It was during his time in secondary school that he first became aware of the struggle friends of his had to access mental health services.

He is one of the few candidates to voice opposition to a proposed gas terminal at Shannon LNG. Not long after canvassing during the Marriage Equality Referendum, Kirwan joined the Social Democrats. He is the youngest of three childen and his parents would typically have voted for Labour or Fianna Fáil in the past.

The twenty five year old has equated winning a seat on the Council as an entry-level job into politics and maintained there is a left wing voice missing from the Chamber which he would hope to provide.

Chris actively partakes in jiu jitsu at the Clare Academy and will need a takedown of political sorts to overcome sitting councillors.

ENNIS LEA CANDIDATE Frankie Cullinan

PARTY

CANDIDATE Cllr Pat Daly

PARTY

CANDIDATE Dermot Hayes

PARTY

5

CANDIDATE Mark Nestor

PARTY

Independent

Fianna Fáil

Independent

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

Porter at King John’s Castle / Road Traffic Management

E

VERYBODY needs goes neighbours goes the catchy theme tune of the Australian soap but for Frank Cullinan, the support and backing of his neighbour James Breen has helped launch his entry into politics.

A long-time canvasser for Breen, Frank is planning on going from being one of the foot soldiers to a general in his first political campaign as a candidate.

The Kilnamona man has said he won’t make promises he can’t keep and pinpoints Ennis General Hospital as the key issue affecting the electorate in the Ennis MD. Struggles to secure a full-time job forced Frank to relocate to Scotland for a period of three years earlier this decade and his situation is one men and women of the county will be able to relate to.

Since returning to Clare in 2016, he has lived in Ennis and describes himself as a people person. Confident with the team behind him, Frank says he’s in it to win as he intends to win the seat vacated by his friend and neighbour.

County Councillor

A

FORMER Mayor of Clare and Ennis, Pat Daly will celebrate twenty years on the council if re-elected in May. Born and bred on Parnell St, he is keen to have a say in the upcoming €1.4m regeneration works to reopen more properties there, his family previously ran a drapery business on the street, which closed in 1991.

In recent months, he has been singing off the hymn sheet of increasing the amount of music festivals in the county town.

Daly proposed a week-long traditional music festival á la Willie Clancy in honour of Tommy Peoples to take place on the Whit Weekend going forward and that a bid be made to have the Fleadh down in Ennis by 2024.

Pat has listed health, parking, housing and crime in the town of Ennis as key issues he will be pushing on the doorsteps and stated his concern with the lack of social housing built since 2011.

A proud supporter of the Éire Óg townies, his regular request for speed bumps outside the club grounds have fell on deaf ears but he’s hopeful his bid to return won’t be as slow as the installation of speed calming measures there.

Retired

A

S 2019 dawned, Dermot Hayes would not have envisaged seeing his name on the ballot paper as an Independent can-

didate.

Nominated to contest Seamus Ryan in The Labour Party selection, the Corofin native informed party headquarters he was terminating his membership after close to two decades.

The disability rights campaigner received a strong reaction to the news following its publication in The Clare Echo and has since opted to go Independent.

Along with Frankie Neylon and Ger O’Halloran, Hayes was one of the last candidates standing in the 2014 local elections but it was Clare Colleran Molloy that nabbed the coveted final seat.

Currently, he serves as a Clare PPN representative on the Joint Policing Committee, CLDC and on the Social Development SPC. A father of two, he has pledged to deliver results for inclusion and housing solutions.

He moved to Ennis in 1974 and has warned that if immigrants to the town are not included it will lead to the fracturing of society.

A founding member of the Clare Leader Forum, Dermot is a presenter with Raidió Corca Baiscinn and is optimistic that his voice will be beamed to the county as a councillor later this year.

Development Officer with An Chláir as Gaeilge

A

GED twenty seven, Mark is Fianna Fáil’s youngest candidate in the county.

Along with ex councillor Bernard Hanrahan he sought a place on the party ticket prior to Chritmas but when a two candidate directive was issued by party headquarters, the Cloughleigh man lost out.

Four months on, he received the news he had been waiting for and is now playing catchup on the campaign trail.

Working as Development Officer with An Clár as Gaeilge, Nestor believes Ennis has the potential to become a bi-lingual town.

He is involved in a voluntary capacity with the Community Games, Macra na Feirme and Fleadh Cheoil an Chláir. His father, the late Jimmy Brohan was a well known and popular businessman, Mark feels once business is booming in the town surrounding areas benefit.

The NUIG graduate wants better mental health and counselling services for the people of Clare and sees a potential role as a councillor a way of making progress to securing a better standard of service.

With the votes of retiring Fianna Fáil councillor Tom McNamara, up for grabs, Nestor needs to capitalise if he is to ensure the party remains with three representatives in the District.

DALY, Pat DALY, Pat

Nesto Nestor Mark

VOTE No.1

VOTE No.1

Councillor Councillor

DALY, Pat

Mark

Mark

Nestor

Councillor

VOTE No.1

Local Election Candidate | En

Local Election Candidate | Ennis

087 248 4552

087 248 4552

marknestor

Mark Nestor for Clare C marknestorff@gmail.com

Mark Nestor for Clare County Council Local Election Candidate | Ennis

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DELIVERING FOR THEPEOPLE PEOPLEOF OFTHE THEENNIS ENNISMUNICIPAL ELECTORAL AREA THE DISTRICT.

PatPat looks forward to meeting the the constituents of the looks forward to meeting constituents Electoral Area andand if re-elected, ofnew the Ennis Municipal District if re-elected, demonstrating his 15 20 years of political experience a hard-working full time local Councillor. as aashard-working FULL TIME Local Councillor.

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DELIVERING FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE ENNIS MUNICIPAL DISTRICT

MOBILE: 086 MOBILE: 086109 1099312 9312

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DELIVERING FOR THEPEOPLE PEOPLEOF OFTHE THEENNIS ENNISMUNICIPAL ELECTORAL AREA THE DISTRICT.

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DELIVERING FOR THE PEOPLE OFTHE THE ENNIS ELECTORAL AREA THE PEOPLE OF MUNICIPAL DISTRICT. PatPat looks forward to meeting the constituents of the looks forward toENNIS meeting the constituents

1 DALY, Pat

087 248 4552

Mark Nestor for Clare County Council

Please preference Please continue continue your preference on on Election Election Day Day for for Please continue youryour preference on Election Day for Clare COLLERAN-MOLLOY, Bernard HANRAHAN, Cllr.

Clare COLLERAN-MOLLOY, and Mark NESTOR. Electoral Area and if re-elected, ofnew theClare Ennis Municipal District and ifNESTOR re-elected, Cllr. Tom MCNAMARA, Cllr. Brian MEANEY COLLERAN-MOLLOY, and Mark

Patdemonstrating looks forward to15 meeting constituents of the Pat looks forward toyears meeting the constituents his ofthe political experience 20 new Electoral Area and if Councillor. re-elected, ofas the Ennis Municipal District and if re-elected, a hard-working full time local aashard-working FULL TIME Local Councillor. demonstrating his 15 years of political experience 20 a hard-working full time local Councillor. as aashard-working FULL TIME Local Councillor.

CULLINAN

Dl flyer with brian pict.indd 1 flyerindd app.indd 1

19/02/2014 15/03/2019 15:31 15:37

MOBILE: 086 109 9312

marknestorff@gmail.com

FRANK

MOBILE: 086 109 9312 1 DALY, Pat INDEPENDENT

1 DALY, LOCAL PatELECTION CANDIDATE | ENNIS Please Please continue continue your your preference preference on on Election Election Day Day for for Clare COLLERAN-MOLLOY, Bernard HANRAHAN, Cllr.

Clare COLLERAN-MOLLOY, and Mark NESTOR. Cllr. Tom MCNAMARA, Cllr. Brian MEANEY

A Independent Candidate for the Local Community Frank Cullinan and the County A Native of Shallee, Kilnamona Frank Cullinan as a whole. now living in Ennis intends to make

Please Please continue continue your your preference preference on on Election Election Day Day for for Clare COLLERAN-MOLLOY, Bernard HANRAHAN, Cllr.

Clare COLLERAN-MOLLOY, and Mark NESTOR. Cllr. Tom MCNAMARA, Cllr. Brian MEANEY Dl flyer with brian pict.indd 1 flyerindd app.indd 1

Dl flyer with brian pict.indd 1 flyerindd app.indd 1

19/02/2014 15/03/2019 15:31 15:37

A Native of Shallee, Kilnamona now living in Ennis intends to make a difference for the people on the ground.

Please cast your No 1 Vote For

Please cast your No 1 Vote For

A People Person

19/02/2014 15/03/2019 15:31 15:37

VOTE

1

SEAMUS RYAN Candidate for the Ennis Electoral Area As Ennis grows & develops we need to look to the challenges facing our community. Challenges like Housing, Economic Dev. Sustainability, Recycling, Protecting our Green Spaces, Public & Green transport & Schools. We also need to focus on what we can do to make Clare a vibrant place where people have the option to live and work all around the county and not just be commuterland.

With your help I want to play a part in developing & promoting our County

086 830 2057 chris.kirwan@socialdemocrats.ie

ENNIS LEA

8

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

Cllr Paul Murphy

Cllr Ann Norton

Cllr Mary Howard

Amanda Major

Fine Gael

Independent

Fine Gael

Independent

County Councillor

Renewable Energy & Engineering student, LIT

PARTY

OCCUPATION

County Councillor

C

LARECASTLE has a strong history of electing Fine Gael councillors, a certain Paul Murphy is counting on that to continue.

The father of two was co-opted to the local authority in 2007 when one such Clarecastle representative, Joe Carey was elected to Dáil Éireann.

His year as the Mayor of Ennis was a lucky one as the town was judged both the cleanest and friendliest in Ireland.

Fine Gael’s website states Murphy is commited to the issue of gender quotas and he has admitted there is a glaring gender imbalance on Clare County Council.

Loneliness and mental health are some of the issues he has highlighted during his time in office plus regularly flagging safety concerns at Clareabbey Roundabout.

A member of the Clarecastle GAA Executive, Paul is unsure as to whether he will suffer a backlash as a consequence of the looming closure of the village’s biggest employer, Roche.

One of the many weekly readers of The Clare Echo, he was inspired by an editorial in this paper last year suggesting Shannon Airport be rebranded The Wild Atlantic Way Airport, he brought the matter to the attention of Airport management but the idea endured a crash landing.

PARTY

PARTY

OCCUPATION

Full-time Carer / County Councillor

F

IRST to be elected in the Ennis Municipal District in 2014, Ann Norton added to her political experience two years later when putting her name in the ring for the General Election where she finished up in eighth spot out of a field of sixteen.

A co-founder of the Clare Crusaders Clinic, Ann manages the Barefield facility on a voluntary basis.

Unsurprisingly health care has been one of the items the mother of three has flagged and she is one of the county’s four representatives on the Regional Health Forum West.

The Dublin native had the distinction of serving as Mayor of Ennis in 2016 when Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann returned to the county for the first time since 1977.

In 2013, Norton had the honour of being named Clare Person of the Year by the Clare Association in Dublin, securing enough votes to remain as a councillor is the next contest she is determined to win.

Ann admitted that topping the poll is not her number one priority and rather retaining it, she has stated her desire for all six sitting councillors in the Ennis District to be returned.

OCCUPATION

H

ER father, Michael was a Senator and since becoming a county councillor five years ago, Mary has begun to carve her own political legacy which of course started with her 2009 election to Ennis Town Council.

Women’s health has been to the fore of her agenda, this work resulted in a comprehensive and professional breast check service for the women of Ennis.

Mary proposed the late Laura Brennan for the Clare Person of the Year and became friendly with the HPV vaccine advocate as Laura tirelessly devoted the last few months of her life to increasing awareness on the vaccine.

She has questioned how other councillors can manage to hold down another job whilst being an elected representative. Howard unsuccessfully contested General and Seanad elections in 2016.

The current chairperson of the Clare Joint Policing Committee, she and her canvassers are once again turning heads with their bright pink hi-vis jackets as they tour the highways and byways of the District.

A member of the Ennis Tidy Towns committee, Mary wants to clean up when it comes to the ballot boxes, she secured 5.59 percent of first preference votes in the 2014 local elections.

PARTY

OCCUPATION

I

RELAND has never elected a female Nigerian councillor, Amanda Major wants to buck the trend and be the first.

The eldest of six, Amanda relocated to Ennis in 2007 and prior to that lived in Monaghan, Scariff and Shannon. When she did arrive in the country, the mother of three resided in Direct Provision and is calling for it to be scrapped. Greater support and training for stressed single parents is required in her opinion.

Having received her Irish citizenship four years ago, it was in an interview with The Clare Echo last week that she spoke publicly for the first time about an incident which took place in 2014 where she was racially abused by an elderly man in front of her children, such instances have been a rare occurence she admitted.

CANDIDATE

Alfonso D’Auria

PARTY

Independent

OCCUPATION

Owner, Enzo’s Fast Foods

F

ROM the chipper to the Council Chamber is the aim for Alfonso D’Auria as he enters politics for the first time. The notion of contesting the local elections first crossed his mind five years ago and he is now one of five Independent candidates in the Ennis MD. Having ran the popular Enzo’s at Parnell Street for 20

years, Alfonso has a strong profile and is anxious to become the voice of soletraders if elected. Though welcoming of LIT’s expansion into Bindon St, he believes Ennis should have higher expectations and have its own third level faculty attended by 500 students. A former Chairman of the CSSL, The Avenue Utd clubman is not the first man involved in the beautiful game to enter politics - Michael Guilfoyle the former Independent town councillor, first elected in 1985, also combined local office with football.

CANDIDATE

Donna Deirdre McGettigan

PARTY Sinn Féin OCCUPATION

Administrator with Ace Cabs

B

ELFAST born, residing in Shannon but running in the Ennis Municipal District, Donna Deirdre McGettigan was one of the first out of the blocks when it came to canvassing.

The mother of one was the only individual to express an interest to represent Sinn Féin in the Ennis MD and said her decision to enter the race a case of practicing what she preaches in terms of encouraging more women to run for public office. In the mid 90s, Donna worked at Cahercalla Hospital and is confident the fact she’s living outside the electoral area won’t deter people from giving her their number one vote.

Last year, McGettigan sat her Leaving Certificate in Maths and English, her election would be a first class honours result for Sinn Féin.

l MAYOR ON A MISSION: Mayor Clare Colleran Molloy at the launch of last year’s Munster Fleadh, alongside festival organiser Joe Arkins.

During her time as Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy has been a visible presence in her work promoting local events and supporting fundraisers across her municipal district.

Photo by Martin Connolly

l READY FOR BATTLE: Hayes at his campaign launch last week

Hayes promises to shake things up “CLARE County Council is sitting on its hands whilst soup kitchens re-emerge and young families are forced to pay €1100 and more per month for basic housing. We should not accept this as the new normal.”

Promising to shake up the Council chamber, long-time community activist Dermot Hayes launched his Ennis Municipal District campaign on Tuesday night of last week at Cloughleigh Community Hall.

With roots in the Labour Party, Hayes addressed the issue of his defection head on.

“I grew up with the Labour Party of Paddy Hogan and its efforts to improve a modernising Ireland. However, the Labour Party has stopped delivering these past few years and I’m used to getting things done, making change happen.”

Hayes told the audience that Clare County Council can be a catalyst for great and positive change in Ennis.

“This is a great town with a great heart – Clare County Council built the houses at its heart and it can return to addressing the housing issue. Our children should look forward to housing for less than €1100 per month, our elderly should look forward to safety and suitable services – Clare County Council is at the heart of this,” said Hayes.

Campaign supporter Ann Marie Flanagan told the rally that her friend and fellow activist, Hayes is a man of action.

“He has helped change the law for disabled persons, he has changed national policy for us all. Imagine what discomfort that this activist, working class, disabled man will cause and what he can achieve on Clare County Council.”

10

ENNISTYMON LEA CANDIDATE

Cllr Bill Slattery

PARTY

Fine Gael

OCCUPATION

Farmer / B&B Owner / County Councillor

C

O-OPTED to the local authority following Martin Conway’s Seanad election in 2011, Bill Slattery retained his place at the 2014 election receiving the third highest first preference vote and was also the third person elected.

It wasn’t always like that, in 1999 he was first eliminated after Fine Gael put both him and Martin Conway on the ballot paper, neither of the pair were successful.

Twelve years on with Conway climbing the political ladder, the party turned to Bill who had stepped back in his party commitments since the disappointment and he gladly accepted the opportunity and has fought the case for the people of North and West Clare since.

Like all Lahinch folk, he is excitedly awaiting The Irish Open’s arrival and is very anxious to still be a councillor when the tournament comes to town. He led the call for the main street to be pedestrianised for the three day tournament.

With Richard Nagle retiring, the burden of demanding progress on Blake’s Corner will fall to Slattery, maybe some new faces will help him fight the cause provided he repeats the 2014 as opposed to 1999 performance.

CANDIDATE Shane Talty

PARTY

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION: Postmaster

E

ENNISTYMON’S postmaster, Shane Talty is deemed to be the man to deliver a vital seat for Fianna Fáil in this local electoral area.

With retiring councillor Richard Nagle in his corner, Shane has to collect all of the votes that would traditionally have been given to Nagle since 1999 to keep the party’s representation alive in the market town.

Talty admitted that he would never have dreamed of running against Richard.

He lists tourism and farming as the backbone of the North Clare community and feels achieving positive outcomes in these areas will lead to long lasting benefits.

Shane would have preferred to have been selected sooner and is of the view that the party electing all three of its candidates may be a step too far. His late father, Francie was a party stalwart having been secretary of the Comhairle Ceanntar in North Clare and the Lahinch Cumann. While he won’t be in attendance at the count centre he would be the proudest man in the building if his son succeeds in his effort to breed new blood into the Council.

CANDIDATE

Martin O’Loghlen

PARTY

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

Parliamentary Assistant to Timmy Dooley TD

P

OLITICS is in the blood and daily life of Martin O’Loghlen.

His grandfather, Peter ran on the Fianna Fáil ticket alongside Eamon de Valera on three occasions and was elected to Dáil Éireann twice in 1938 and 1944, he also served as a Senator.

Orchestrating successful campaigns is familiar territory for Martin as he has been Director of Elections for Timmy Dooley three times, all of which have resulted in him becoming a TD and two of which saw him top the poll.

A former employee of the Council, he contemplated running for local office in 2004 but the risk of having to resign from his then permanent job was one he opted against.

For fifteen years, he was Chairman of the Micheál Cusack Centre in Carron and helped to secure €1 million in funding that made the development of a visitor centre possible.

Through his daily role, O’Loghlen is dealing with issues that matter to the public and wants to progress this whilst in the position of a County Councillor. The retirements of Richard Nagle and Michael Hillery have left two Fianna Fáil seats up for grabs but Martin is expected to guarantee they hold onto one of those vacancies.

CANDIDATE Joe Killeen

PARTY

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

INTO President / Primary School Teacher

H

E MAY be the President of the INTO and wear the accompanying chains that come with being the figurehead of the teaching union, but in the world of local politics it counts for little as Joe Killeen will know.

Securing equal pay for newly qualified teachers stands out at his top achievement during the year-long Presidency which comes to a close at the end of April. It is only then that the Corofin man will begin to focus on his campaign, which leaves him with a four week window to canvass from Inagh to Fanore incorporating Miltown Malbay, Ruan and Ballyea along the way.

A big boost would be the presence of his cousin and former Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen at the doors but the ex TD has not confirmed if he will be trekking across the Ennistymon LEA. For over a decade, Joe has been the Chairperson of the North Clare Show and believes his time as a principal and assisting families will be a valuable tool to draw upon.

The big concern for the former member of the Clare Sports Partnership is whether he has left it too late to study for this particular examination.

11

ENNISTYMON LEA CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

Noeleen Moran

Joe Garrihy

PARTY

PARTY

Sinn Féin

Fine Gael

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

Factory worker with Zimmer Biomet

T

HOUGH not elected in the 2016 General Election, Noeleen Moran was the moral victor as she collected over 4,000 first preference votes. A future bid for the Dáil is already confirmed and to build on her result of three years ago, being a councillor would be a step in the right direction.

Her father, Noel unsuccessfully contested the 1991 election for the PDs when Tony Killeen topped the poll - she now has her chance to gain some revenge by defeating his cousin Joe at the end of May. Affordable housing and tackling homelessness are the main issues of concern to Moran on the campaign trail. Noticeably quieter in her dealings with the media and fellow Sinn Féin candidates in the county, the Ballyvaughan woman will be tested by the arrival of Martin O’Loghlen.

General Manager at Lahinch Seaworld & Leisure Centre

I

NITIALLY Fine Gael only had one individual to express an interest in representing the party in the Ennistymon LEA. A search soon began and was worthwhile as the inclusion of Lisdoonvarna’s Joe Garrihy has given them hope of electing two candidates in Ennistymon for the first time since 2009 when Martin Conway and Joe Arkins had something to celebrate about.

Joe has built up an experience of working with Clare County Council and CLDC doing community business and sees politics as an extension of this. Fighting for resources in North Clare is Garrihy’s agenda and having secured a long list of grants for various groups in the Burren and Lahinch, he has shown his knack of being able to look in the right places.

A former goalie for Clare in gaelic football, Joe needs to be viewed as a safe pair of hands to win one of the four seats.

CANDIDATE Roisin Garvey

PARTY

Green Party

OCCUPATION

Green Schools Travel Education Officer with An Taisce

Not alone are Roisin Garvey and Noeleen Moran the only female runners in the Ennistymon LEA but their fathers have also contested local elections. Flan Garvey was a Fianna Fáil representative from 1985 to 2009.

A single mother to Corrán, it was her son’s Leaving Certificate that forced her to withdraw

D

ESPITE spending one Monday a month during her school days in the Council Chamber waiting for a lift home, rather than being put off by politics as a result the teenage lessons learned by Roisin Garvey are ones she is looking to apply.

from the General Election in 2016 having received the nod from the Green Party.

Through her work with the Green Schools programme run by An Taisce in primary schools across Clare, she has inspired pupils to complete environmental studies at third level and will now hope to motivate them to give her their number one vote.

She feels the Green Party have answers to social isolation and mental health issues which Roisin wants to give an insight to while being a councillor.

Her sister, Siobhan is the Director of St Tola Irish Goat’s Cheese, and a no-holes barred campaign will be needed to elect the Inagh woman.

RÓISÍN

Our Council, Our Future, Your vote

GARVEY

Garvey’s the the 11 to to get get things things done! done!

Garvey’s 086 1043528 roisin.garvey@greenparty.ie

GER

O’HALLORAN Local Election Candidate - Killaloe

COMMITTED TO WORKING FOR ALL IN THE KILLALOE MD 087 279 8022 gerohalloran65@gmail.com Ger O Halloran @ohalloran_ger

VOTE No.

Cllr JOE

1

COONEY An Experienced and Hard Working Councillor serving the people of the Killaloe Municipal Area 087 250 0227 josephcooney@eircom.net

@FineGael FineGael

13

KILLALOE LEA CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

PARTY

PARTY

PARTY

PARTY

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

A

W

L

S

Cllr Joe Cooney Fine Gael

Building Contractor / County Councillor

LTHOUGH he received more first preference votes than any other candidate in Clare for the past two local elections, Joe Cooney is taking nothing for granted as he attempts to hold on his seat which he first won in 2004.

The O’Callaghans Mills councillor is predicting a tough campaign as nine candidates battle it out for five seats in the Killaloe Municipal District.

Cooney aims to continue fighting for rural services such as a Broadford sewerage facility, the River Shannon crossing at Killaloe, ongoing road maintenance plus the development of sporting and recreational facilities.

Chairperson of the Physical Development SPC, Joe has pointed out that Brexit poses a risk to farming, business and rural communities in the county and along with 95 per cent of men, women and children is anxious to see some sort of a conclusion to Britain’s fiasco.

On top of his political commitments, Joe serves as Chairman of Clare GAA and is relying on the hurlers and footballers in saffron and blue to get plenty of scores on the field to record a successful summer while he eyes up racking up enough votes to remain in situ as a county councillor.

Gerard O’Halloran Fine Gael

Parliamentary Assistant to Joe Carey TD

HOEVER said ‘three is the magic number’ certainly didn’t consult Ger O’Halloran.

Just three votes separated him from a seat on the Council in 2014 as Clare Colleran Molloy nudged past him for the final spot in the Ennis Municipal District.

As Quin and Clooney have been shipped from the Ennis MD into Killaloe, O’Halloran is aboard the fleet of voters to go with them.

As the first non sitting individual to declare his candidacy, Ger will hope to be one of the first to overcome the current representatives whom he is already annoyed with for failing to consult all candidates on their decision to sign up to a voluntary charter on the use of election posters.

Transfers seemed to be his downfall last time out and the former Clare senior camogie manager has no doubt consulted with Joe Carey on how to rectify this.

Previously the manager of Abbey Stores in Quin, his most famous visitor to the shop was Graham Norton and Ger will be anxious to avoid suffering the political equivalent to guests on Norton’s BBC show when they are flipped off the infamous red chair - for him it is not the Cork broadcaster and rather the electorate who are holding the lever.

Barry O’Donovan Green Party

Network Operations Manager with Wireless ISPC IMERICK born but living in Tuamgraney, Barry is striving to become the first Green Party candidate elected in East

Clare.

He is the first person to fly the party flag since Mick Murtagh ran in the 2004 campaign and was eliminated on the first count.

Prior to moving to Tuamgraney three years ago, he lived in Ballyvaughan and was previously involved in an anti-nuclear campaign in 2004.

Barry feels farmers are being exploited with little respect and attention paid to them, and wants those working in agriculture to be afforded a good quality of life through their occupation.

His summers growing up were spent in Doonbeg though his great grandfather hailed from Kilkishen. A former aircraft apprentice engineer at Shannon Airport, Barry needs to pick up votes in every part of the District for his bid to really take flight.

In November, he attended his first ever meeting of Clare County Council sitting in the public gallery - to actually enter the Chamber itself he needs voters to buy into his message of achieving “a better quality of life without costing the Earth”.

Cllr Pat Burke Fine Gael

Farmer / County Councillor

IMILARITIES certainly exist between Pat and his grandfather Patrick. Already you may have noticed the name, there’s also the fact that both men farmed at Dromaan House but in different generations and both were politicians.

Patrick represented Cumann na nGaedheal as a Clare TD from 1932 up until his death thirteen years later as he was returned on six elections in that period while Pat has stayed local securing election on his first attempt in 2009.

The current Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Pat also served as Leas Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council during this term.

Developing Holy Island as a tourist attraction is an item he has regularly emphasised in recent years while he also stated his concern with the imbalance in visitors to the Cliffs of Moher as opposed to those travelling to amenities in East Clare.

Burke maintains that communities must be kept alive to sustain rural Ireland’s future and last month a motion of his guaranteed more street lighting in his native Whitegate will be installed in 2019.

The father of three has expressed his confidence that Fine Gael can elect three candidates in the Killaloe MD.

14

KILLALOE LEA CANDIDATE

Cllr Allan O’Callaghan

PARTY

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

Publican / County Councillor

D

UBBED as the surprise winner five years ago, Alan O’Callaghan has made his presence known within Clare County Council, he currently holds the title of Leas Cathaoirleach with the local authority.

At Fianna Fáil’s selection convention for this area, he topped the poll and would be

ecstatic with a repeat occurrence in May. Key to his election was the amount of work done in canvassing the area from head to toe and conducting a similar approach is top of his agenda. Two years ago, Alan claimed cocaine use was rampant in the county in his role as a Council representative on the Joint Policing Committee.

More recently on the subject of breath-

alyser tests, the rally driver warned priests to be careful not to have an extra drop of wine at the altar or they too could face the consequences.

Known for his wit around the Council Chamber, O’Callaghan’s remarks have put smiles on many of his colleagues, now the electorate have the choice to see if they appreciate his humour.

CANDIDATE Cllr Tony O Brien

PARTY

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

Bus Éireann Inspector / County Councillor

N

OT to be confused with the former HSE Director General, Tony O’Brien is the sole councillor from East Clare’s largest town, Killaloe. The last time he contested an election as a sitting representative (2009) O’Brien lost his seat having previously been one of four first time candidates to usurp then incumbents Michael Begley, Mary Mannion and Pat O’Gorman in 2004.

Tony has repeatedly shared his view that Killaloe is the gateway to the eastern side of the county and in 2018 sought the reopening of a tourist information office in the town to help unlock its potential.

When Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin renewed the Confidence and Supply agreement with Fine Gael, O’Brien was one of the loudest party critics in the county stating he was disgusted and disappointed with the deal. His vote has increased in every election and the Smith O’Briens secretary will need this pattern to continue in what is expected to be a competitive area. Like all present councillors in the Killaloe MD, Tony will not be erecting posters during the campaign.

CANDIDATE

Cllr Pat Hayes

PARTY

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

CLDC Supervisor / County Councillor

I

T COMES as no surprise that Pat is frustrated with the redrawing of electoral areas. Having regularly dealt with issues affecting the North Clare voters that found themselves in the Killaloe MD who are now in the Ennistymon LEA, he does not get to see if they would show their appreciation by way of a first preference vote.

Hayes’ role as Chairperson of the Rural Development SPC means his finger is on the pulse to matters of importance in East Clare, subsequently he wants progress on water services at Tulla, sewerage in Broadford plus broadband and mobile

phone coverage.

In 2016, the Feakle man was nominated to contest the Seanad Election but withdrew from the campaign.

In 2004 he topped the poll but the most recent two elections have seen Pat finish in second position to Joe Cooney.

A brother of world renowned fiddler, Martin Hayes, the love of music is not lost on Pat as in this Council term it was his proposal that resulted in a civic reception for the Tulla Céilí Band, now the electorate will decide if he has been playing to the right tune.

16

KILLALOE LEA

CANDIDATE Beckha Doyle PARTY Social Democrats OCCUPATION E-Commerce employee with Shopify

C

OMING from a family of six, Beckha Doyle has been exposed to issues affecting individuals of varying age-groups in Ireland today.

Not alone is the former Scariff Community College student the only woman running in the area but her arrival will go down in the history books as the first Social Democrat candidate in the Killaloe MD. The party’s stance on the Eighth Amendment plus some of their policies piqued her interest and resulted

in the Scariff woman becoming a Social Democrat.

A volunteer with ForÓige, she is adamant fresh blood and new ideas

CANDIDATE Sean Naughton PARTY Sinn Féin OCCUPATION Bartender

are required to inject a lease of life into the area.

Housing and environmental issues are key items for her and she is of the view that housing has not been the number one priority on the Council’s behalf. Doyle feels more education on recycling will lead to a healthier environment which will be more appealing to people visiting the county.

With a passion for engaging young people in their own community, Beckha’s test is to get the people of the Killaloe MD to vote for her party for the first time.

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H

E MAY be the youngest candidate in County Clare for May’s local elections but that hasn’t stopped Sean Naughton from receiving the most media coverage of the chasing competing pack.

Whether it’s calling out Timmy Dooley to clarify his stance on Shannon Airport’s neutrality, the alienation of East Clare’s youth, reacting to vandalism or the need for pay-as-you-go car insurance for young people, the 20 year old has ruffled feathers as he appeared in newspapers and on

the airwaves across the county since entering the race in January.

Referring to the input of younger voters when i t came to the referenda on Mar-

riage Equality and the Eighth Amendment, Naughton is in no doubt his generation can give his campaign an edge on his counterparts.

When Sinn Féin last ran a candidate in Killaloe, Sean wasn’t even born so Tony Foley’s first count elimination in 1991 carries no baggage for the O’Briensbridge resident.

From the outset, the UL Bohemians loose head prop promised to clash heads, he’s stood to his word and Sean is now relying on the electorate of all ages to see if he can deliver as a councillor.

Clash over election posters in Killaloe POSTERS of sitting councillors in the Killaloe Municipal District will not be visible for May’s local elections. Their decision has been welcomed by new candidates who are annoyed not to have been consulted about the charter.

Outgoing elected representatives, Alan O’Callaghan, Joe Cooney, Pat Burke, Pat Hayes and Tony O’Brien have agreed to a voluntary charter across the District. In a joint statement to The Clare Echo they said they “are ardent supporters of climate action and reducing the electoral areas carbon footprint. This decision underpins their ongoing commitment to the Tidy Towns and volunteer groups” across the MD. Earlier this year, sitting councillors in the Ennis and West Clare MD signed up to a voluntary charter and were sympathetic to new candidates opting to use posters to build their presence. However the five in Killaloe have called “on other candidates and political parties who will be participating in the upcoming local and European elections to follow their lead and set aside differences when it comes to making all of East Clare a greener place”.

A field of nine candidates has been confirmed so far in the Killaloe MD, Ger O’Halloran (Fine Gael), Barry O’Donovan (Green Party), Beckha Doyle (Social Democrats) and Sean Naughton (Sinn Féin) will compete against the five sitting councillors for five seats on the Council.

Barry O’Donovan wrote to the Killaloe MD and its elected representatives in March asking them to organise a meeting between all sitting and prospective candidates to outline their stance on posters. “I have never been in favour of using posters and I welcome the fact that the sitting councillors are showing concern for the environment, both physical and visual, but I am very concerned about the effect this will have on the democratic process.

As the sitting councillors they have the advantage of name recognition and incumbency, they need to balance this by putting in place a framework to ensure that all candidates can put their positions forward equally, for example by facilitating public information spaces in each town and village in the run up to the election”.

Ger O’Halloran told The Clare Echo he would be “reserving my right to use posters” and was disappointed the sitting councillors did not discuss the matter with the competing candidates. “I am not a councillor, I was not invited to the meeting where the decision was made. I believe there was an opportunity to bring all candidates for such a discussion but the councillors have taken a particular route.”

Beckha Doyle has confirmed she will not be using posters in her first election.

Sean Naughton has revealed he will be using posters while campaigning for the local elections.

KILRUSH LEA

U

PON entering retirement a decade ago, Gabriel Keating was anticipating a quiet life where he could relax after decades working in finance.

Fine Gael had other ideas for the man from Cross and made several requests for him to run in the 2009 elections. He declined and declined again before relenting in April announcing his intention to win a seat, which he did.

Gabriel repeated the result in 2014 and was the final candidate elected. His first preference vote did take a tip but the former Chair of the Clare Football board proved to be very transfer friendly which saw him leapfrog four competitors to retain his spot.

In a decade spent working in Roscommon, he was a key figure in the development of Hyde Park and likewise was to the fore with the opening of Loop Head Lighthouse.

He was the first Clare man to receive the presidential award for his contribution to the GAA. Currently, Keating has been kept occupied with plans for The Little Ark in Kilbaha. A weekly viewer of Dancing With The Stars, Gabriel needs to increase his amount of first preference votes if he is to waltz his way back to the Council.

CANDIDATE

Cllr Gabriel Keating

PARTY

Independent

OCCUPATION

Retired Financial Consultant / County Councillor

17

CANDIDATE Cllr Bill Chambers

PARTY

Fianna Fรกil

OCCUPATION

Farmer / County Councillor

E

VER present on the Council since 1985, Bill Chambers has competed with future Junior Ministers and Senators during his 34 years as a representative in the Kilrush area.

In June 2016 he made history becoming the first person from Cooraclare to serve as the first citizen of the county. It stands out as one of his personal highlights as a local representative and resulted in a visit to the United States of America, a country he had never been to beforehand.

Regarded by his colleagues as a cool-headed character well capable of playing on a team, Bill has had to wait until the final count in his last two election bids to secure his seat. Prior to that when elected earlier, a Fianna Fรกil candidate has always followed soon after, both Cillian Murphy and PJ Kelly would certainly like a reoccurrence if Bill gets in before them.

Conscious of the tradition that Cooraclare has in maintaining representation on the Council, Bill does not want to break the trend that stretches back to the time of Johnny Daly, Michael Chambers, Tom Campbell and Bob Chambers.

Cllr Gabriel

KEATING Local Election Candidate 087 256 4833 gabrielkeating1@gmail.com

The man who gets things done

KILRUSH LEA

18

CANDIDATE Mike Taylor PARTY Fine Gael OCCUPATION Law student at NUIG / Front of House at Bay View Hotel

CANDIDATE Cllr Ian Lynch PARTY Independent OCCUPATION HSEQ Manager at L&M Keating / County Councillor

W

B

IN, lose or draw Mike Taylor’s entry in local politics is a significant one. Not because he is one of the youngest Fine Gael candidates in all of Ireland but rather because he is the first openly gay politician in Clare.

He is hopeful his arrival will lead to more diverse candidates coming forward in the future.

Indeed the Taoiseach of this country, Leo Varadkar is also a gay man and for Taylor it is not his coming out that proved inspirational but rather the fact his sexual orientation does not define him.

Campaigning is nothing new to the twenty year old, he was prominent during the Marriage Equality and Eighth Amendment referenda while he has canvassed for Pat Breen from an early age. With such a surge in young voters in these instances, Mike wants to capitalise and hope they push him towards the top of the poll.

If elected, his first motion will be on his native Kilkee and how coaches travelling from the Cliffs of Moher need to be encouraged to stay in the coastal location as well as Doonbeg and Loop Head.

EFORE being a County Councillor, Ian Lynch served his apprenticeship as a town councillor in Kilrush and at that stage represented Fine Gael.

However they were guilty of scoring an own goal in the West Clare Municipal District five years ago as Lynch was lost from the party, his failure to be selected on their ticket saw him go Independent while Bill Slattery and Gabriel Keating were elected in the MD with Oliver Garry losing his seat.

A volunteer with Kilrush Tidy Towns, the RNLI and Scattery Island Heritage, Ian is the current Cathaoirleach in the West Clare MD. In February he declared that the drug problem in West Clare is out of control following a motion the previous September where he looked for a five year action plan be devised to tackle social, criminal and addiction issues in the area.

In 2016 he contested the General Election was the first Councillor in the race to be eliminated following his exit on the third count. National attention came his way in July of that year as he revealed himself to be a Beyoncé fanatic. If he has a fraction of the popularity of the American singer he’ll be home and hosed before long.

CANDIDATE: Violet Ann Wynne PARTY Sinn Féin OCCUPATION Mother of five children

A

VOICE for the voiceless is the promise from Violet-Anne Wynne on who she will represent if successful this May. Already she is not afraid to speak up and has been the most critical candidate of sitting councillors who she feels have allowed West Clare to be abandoned. Born in Offaly, she moved to Kilrush with her husband in 2011, joining Sinn Féin one year later.

In years gone by, the mother of five spent one week homeless, at one stage when accommodation was secured the family had to endure a three to four month spell in a rat infested house at a time when Violet-Anne was six months’ pregnant.

Before Christmas, she was running regular soup kitchens in Kilrush for the homeless.

Sinn Féin last ran a candidate in Kilrush fifteen years ago when Gerry Malone suffered an early elimination. Wynne has insisted that she may not be liked by people for her comments but remains defiant to create change, crucially for her it is the electorate that decide if they want to place their trust in her to try and make such changes.

CANDIDATE Cllr PJ Kelly PARTY Fianna Fáil OCCUPATION Water diviner / Retired teacher / County Councillor

C

LARE’S longest serving and most experienced councillor is the title that sits on the shoulders of PJ Kelly.

Admittedly ‘a reluctant candidate’, Kelly’s efforts to source a suitable runner came unstuck having approached six different candidates both inside his parish of Lissycasey and further afield. Now the campaign is up and running, PJ is determined to be returned and continue to highlight the case of rural Clare.

Throughout this Council term, he maintained the closure of post offices was an assault on rural Ireland, planning restrictions in North Munster he felt more suitable to North Korea, cautioned that ghettos could be created if the right mix is not found with social housing and was close to resigning his seat following a €300,000 reduction in the General Municipal Allocation for all of Clare.

Five years ago PJ had the lowest expenditure of all successful candidates conducting the campaign at a cost of €640.

Always one to do his homework, the retired teacher has quoted a vast array of individuals during his years in the Chamber be they ex dictators, literary giants or fellow colleagues.

CANDIDATE Cillian Murphy PARTY Fianna Fáil OCCUPATION Restaurant owner / Tourism Consultant

O

NE of Clare’s foremost tourism experts, Cillian Murphy is back in the race for a seat on the County Council.

In 2004, he ran for the Green Party but finished bottom of the poll. As the years progressed so too has the amount of work attached to his CV. Amongst other things, he is the co-founder and ex chairman of Loop Head Tourism while he has been heavily involved in the Make Kilkee Plastic Free initiative. Before he was selected as a Fianna Fáil candidate, Murphy expressed an interest in flying the Fine Gael flag but was turned away, securing the grass root vote from his new party is key to his bid.

He believes depopulation is the biggest threat to rural communities but identifies the tourism, fishing and farming product in West Clare as being critical to combating it. During the interview process to be selected, it was remarked to Cillian that it was as if he’s been in training all his life to become a councillor - he must now clock up the miles through his canvassing to win over the entire Municipal District to ensure his efforts pay off.

KILRUSH LEA

19

‘Man who gets things done’ hopes for reelection l POPULAR: Bill Chambers hopes that a tradition of Cooraclare councillors in the Chamber continues Photo by Gary Collins

Keating confident ahead of May PÁRAIC McMAHON

paraic@clareecho.ie

HIS slogan is “the man who gets things done” and Cllr Gabriel Keating is confident his re-election to Clare County Council will be the done thing in two months time.

In 2014, Cllr Keating polled in twelfth position out of sixteen candidates following the first count. However he still managed to secure the eighth and final seat on the West Clare Municipal District beating off sitting Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Keane, Noeleen Moran of Sinn Féin plus his Fine Gael colleagues Oliver Garry and Gerard Kennedy.

On how he plans to secure a stronger first preference vote, Gabriel stated, “You build it by the work you do, I’ve worked hard. My slogan was ‘the man who gets things done’ and I believe I’ve made a difference. I’m still coming up with ideas, ideas create jobs and jobs create money for people. At present I’m working on the project of a visitor centre for The Little Ark in Kilbaha, I have been very involved in the Wild Atlantic Way”.

First elected to the local authority a decade ago, the former Chairperson of the Clare football board recalled his entry into politics came not long after he leaving the financial services industry. “I took early retirement in 2009 with the hope of relaxing and having a good time. Various people called to me, Joe Hurley, Pat Breen, Jim McMahon and asked me to stand, I refused them all.

“Then eventually Jim McMahon called and he said ‘we want you to stand, make up your mind now because we’re going into April’ and the election was in May. I made up my mind, I rang The Champion and I looked for the Editor that was Austin Hobbs, I said ‘I have an announcement to make’, he said ‘are you going for Taoiseach’, ‘not quite but I want a front page because I don’t want people to say to me when I go to the doorstep we didn’t know whether you were standing or not and I want to make it sure’ so he gave me the front page and said ‘Mary Howard daughter of Senator Michael Howard and Gabriel Keating well known GAA officer’ so that got me on my way”.

Growing up “there was no room for politics in our house,” he admitted as his father was a Fianna Fáil member and his mother a teacher in Cross aligned to Fine Gael. One of six children, two of Gabriel’s siblings have died in the past year.

As the countdown continues to May 24th, the Cross native will be calling to plenty of houses in the Kilrush local electoral. When asked by The Clare Echo what he will tell them his biggest achievement in the ten years has been, the Fine Gael councillor quipped, “I won’t need to say it, they will say Gabriel ‘you’re welcome, you’ve done great work, you’re going to be elected’”

20

SHANNON LEA CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

PARTY

PARTY

PARTY

PARTY

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

OCCUPATION

Garret McPhillips

Cllr John Crowe

Fine Gael

Manufacturing Lead with Regeneron

W

ITHOUT a Fine Gael representative in Shannon Town since Sean McLoughlin lost out in 2014, the party have put their faith in first time candidate Garret McPhillips to win back a seat.

In McPhillips they have an individual who wants to see a more positive narrative about the town created.

With former Senator Tony Mulcahy in his corner, Garret will pose a threat to sitting councillors Gerry Flynn and Mike McKee, with the prospect of three councillors being elected from Shannon Town unlikely.

His Fine Gael links stretch to his Mayo grandfather who would have been involved in the campaigns of former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, he also shares the same first name as another former Fine Gael Taoiseach, Garret Fitzgerald. He wants to see more young people entering politics to create a better future for the next generation.

A former minor and intermediate hurler with his county, the father of four was in fact Clare’s highest scorer in the 1999 minor championship, if he can translate scores to votes he may just do enough to have his biggest success off the field.

Fine Gael

County Councillor / Retired Shop Owner

T

HE year was 1999, Cork defeated Clare minus an injured Jamesie O’Connor in the Munster senior hurling final and the young Rebels would go on to become All-Ireland champions - but in the world of Banner politics it was a significant one locally for Fine Gael.

They may have only added one Council seat and were nine off Fianna Fáil’s majority but crucially they brought new blood to the local authority including Pat Breen, Joe Carey, Tony Mulcahy and John Crowe, a future Junior Minister, TD, Senator and one hoping to be returned as a councillor for the third time.

John has earmarked improving infrastructure in his native Sixmilebridge and neighbouring Newmarket-on-Fergus as well as continuing to push for improved services at Shannon Airport and building growth at Bunratty if re-elected.

Serving as Mayor in the last term ranked among one of his proudest days. Across Clare, Fine Gael are running four first time candidates with the aim of eclipsing 1999.

A reoccurrence would be significant - should a repeat pairing of Clare and Cork in the Munster decider arise Crowe and company in The Bridge would be praying to turn the tables on what happened twenty years ago.

Eugene Long

Cllr Pat McMahon

Fine Gael

Retired Garda

W

HEN February ended so too did Eugene Long’s thirty-four year career as a member of An Garda Síochána. Based at Ardnacrusha for the past twenty years, Eugene views local politics as a continuation of the work he was doing while on the beat.

He is one of two Limerick natives running in the Shannon MD - he continues to support the Treaty County when it comes to sporting occasions with Clare following close behind. However he is opposed to the notion of Limerick extending into Clare.

Fine Gael approached him to consider running as they attempt to assault Cathal Crowe’s vote in the south of the county and the Westbury resident will have to upset his neighbour to do just that.

A former member of Shannon Golf Club, through his work the ex St Clement’s College student has gained a vast amount of knowledge on surrounding parishes of Ardnacrusha from his working days.

Now instead of asking these people to obey the law he is requesting their number one vote as Fine Gael targets this District to increase their Council representation.

Fianna Fáil

OCCUPATION

County Councillor / Retired businessman

F

IRST elected to the local authority following the sudden death of his father Andy, Pat is now the second longest serving councillor having passed out his father’s thirty years of service.

The buzz and satisfaction of helping people on the big and not so big issues keeps drawing the Newmarket-on-Fergus native back to local politics.

One of the most vocal elected representative in fighting for better services at Shannon Airport, McMahon has also brought back to life a twenty year old motion of his seeking the installation of a historic theme park in Bunratty.

Faced with the obstacle of the bulk of Ballycar being in the Killaloe MD, the former shop owner is reliant on his remaining fellow parishioners to vote in his favour to see him returned, if he loses support in Newmarket his seat will be up for grabs.

It wasn’t until the final count in each of the last four elections that the father of two retained his seat however as a regular visitor to the cinema and theatre, Pat enjoys the twists and turn that go hand in hand with the drama that is local politics and elections.

Cllr. PAT MCMAHON Fighting for a better Shannon Airport Serving the people of Newmarket-on-Fergus & Shannon Municipal Area

Vote No. 1

Ennis Road Newmarket on Fergus Co. Clare

Tel: 061 476576

Cllr.

BEGLEY, Michael INDEPENDENT

Mayor of Clare; Cathaoirleach of Clare Co. Council

Vote for ME – to Work for YOU 087-2413433 mlbegley@clarecoco.ie mlbegley@outlook.ie

Municipal District of SHANNON Local Election – Friday May 24th 2019

VOTE BEGLEY, MICHAEL NUMBER

1

CANDIDATE

Michael Begley

PARTY

Independent

OCCUPATION

Planning Consultant / County Councillor

R

EDRAWING of local electoral areas have moved Michael and his parish of Clonlara from the Killaloe MD into the Shannon MD where he will be without one third of his previous voters.

Since June he has been the Cathaoirleach (Mayor) of Clare County Council. The story of Joe Arkins in 2014 is one Michael is anxious not to emulate. Arkins was the serving Cathaoirleach but boundary changes ended up with him running in Killaloe as opposed to the Ennistymon LEA and the Ruan man lost his seat.

Initially elected in 1991 after unsuccessful attempts in 1979 and 1985, Begley lost his seat in 2004 as a Fianna Fáil councillor but came back in 2009 and has been present ever since as Independent.

A fluent Irish speaker, Michael has stuck to his commitment of increasing the promotion of the language during his one year term.

In Clonlara, he has assisted with the development of sporting facilities and is the only person from the village to have held the office as Clare’s first citizen. Michael must now endeavour to guarantee a regular return to the Chamber and not just a once off visit to hand over the mayoral chains.

PLEASE VOTE NO. 1

23

SHANNON LEA CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE

PARTY

PARTY

Cllr PJ Ryan

Cllr Mike McKee

Cllr Cathal Crowe

Cllr Gerry Flynn

PARTY

Sinn Féin

Fianna Fáil

Independent

Social Democrats

Retired cleaning contractor / County Councillor

Researcher / Writer

Independent

OCCUPATION

Distributor with Ryan Oil / County Councillor

I

CANDIDATE

N THE political history of PJ Ryan, it was third time lucky in getting elected to the Council.

Having ran unsuccessfully for Fianna Fáil in 1999 and 2004, PJ after being denied a place on the party ticket went Independent got elected and has been there since despite requests from the party to return.

It was only on the final count in both campaigns that PJ got elected but it’s the result as opposed to the order that will be his main priority.

During the outgoing Council term, Ryan has been active on the topic of Shannon Airport, seeking better marketing and advertising of the airport and his frustration at how it is losing out on passengers at home and abroad through a lack of promotion.

In 2017, he revealed that attending a suicide prevention class as a member of Shannon Lions Club proved invaluable as it assisted him to save a life.

As one of three Independents running in the Shannon MD, the oil distributor will be anxious it is not him that slips up a bid to return to the local authority.

PARTY

OCCUPATION

County Councillor / Owner HT Promotions

P

RIOR to his 2014 election, Sinn Féin had been without a representative on Clare County Council for forty years.

The Shannon representative is the only councillor in Clare with a constituency office and one of the few in the country with such a facility.

Born in Armagh, he moved to the Banner in the mid 1970s and has outlined his frustration with the lack of progression and development of Shannon Town in that period.

A previous long serving member of Shannon Town Council, McKee left Sinn Féin for an eight year spell but returned prior to his greatest day in politics, that being the May 2014 election. His election reinvigorated the party within Clare and now they are running candidates in each Municipal District.

Mike maintains a streetscape is the best way of seeing an improvement to commercial activity and bringing a heart to Shannon Town. Also running in the next General Election, returning to the Council is a must for Mike if ambitions of higher office are to be fulfilled.

A strong Sinn Féin vote in Shannon is needed to keep the party alive in Clare.

PARTY

OCCUPATION

Primary School Teacher / County Councillor

OCCUPATION

W A HEN elected to the Council for the first time in 2004, Cathal Crowe was the youngest councillor, a lot has changed in his life since including marriage, the birth of his three children and completing college degrees but he still remains as the youngest representative in Áras Contae an Chláir.

He was the first elected candidate in the Shannon Municipal District in 2014, he was deemed elected on the first count while the remaining five seats were not filled until the tenth and final count.

Prior to that, Crowe represented the Killaloe MD, again he received the highest number of first preference votes in 2004 but endured a nervy count in 2009 as he was the final candidate elected.

A teacher at Parteen NS, Cathal is a confirmed Fianna Fáil candidate for the next General Election where he hopes to take flight to Dáil Éireann.

The Meelick native is notorious for burning shoe leather when it comes to canvassing but last week sustained his first injury whilst on the trail as he fell over after visiting a house, he’ll be happy if that’s the only trip he has in this election.

COUNCILLOR’S life is certainly not a quite one but for Gerry Flynn, it has been a particularly eventful few months.

He and Ann Norton proposed the Council’s nomination of Peter Casey for the Irish Presidential Election, following Casey’s well documented remarks about ethnic status for Irish Travellers, Flynn came under fire to resign from his role as Chairman of the Social Development Strategic Policy Committee by fellow SPC member Dermot Hayes. He received a resounding vote of confidence from the SPC but the next battle that presented itself came in the guise of a Shannon public meeting discussing the future of The Venue project.

The Miltown Malbay native resembled a pantomime villain at the meeting as he was subject to jeers from the crowd on that occasion.

Gerry consistently flagged the need to improve flood defences at Shannon Embankments and in December €27m was allocated to safeguard the future of the airport, town and industrial estate.

Chairperson of the standing orders subcommittee, Flynn is ready for the fight to see if he is still standing come the conclusion of the election count.

Betty Walsh

OCCUPATION

T

HUS far, Betty Walsh is the only female candidate in the Shannon Municipal District.

Originally from Newcastle West, she has lived in the Shannon Banks for the last forty years.

It’s twenty years since she last contested an election, Betty ran in the Killaloe MD but her elimination on the fourth count and subsequent transfers of her 413 votes resulted in the election of another woman, Parteen’s Mary Mannion. On that occasion, Walsh was with The Labour Party but as a long time admirer of Roisin Shorthall she got involved with The Social Democrats not long after its establishment.

Although she has mixed feelings on whether the Limerick border should extend into Clare, Walsh who reared her two sons on her own, has had a clear stance when it comes to referendums, most notably playing her part in both divorce referenda and the more recent referenda on marriage equality and the eighth amendment.

After returning to UCC as a mature student, she completed a science degree in youth and community work and went on to do a masters at UL. One of her sons, Kieran is also contesting the election but in Limerick City North.