COUNTY WEXFORD’S LOCAL ELECTIONS CANDIDATES

Peter Mernagh, Renua

Ballymotey Beg His first time to run in the local elections,

Peter Mernagh lives in Ballymotey Beg and is running in the Kilmuckridge electoral area.

He is the chairperson of the Monageer/

Boolavogue GAA Club and volunteers with the local Community

First Responders

Group.

Peter attended Monageer National School and St Mary’s CBS in Enniscorthy before attending IT Carlow, Wexford Campus for his BA in Education and MA in Child, Youth and Family studies.

Peter Mernagh’s political objectives are to implement a community first responder group in every parish in the area, tackle the problem of rural litter and dumping, improve road markings and rural transport systems as well as working towards establishing a University of the South East campus in Wexford.

Mary Farrell, Independent

Cosher, Kilmuckridge Mary Farrell lives in

Cosher, Kilmuckridge and she was elected in the Gorey district in

2014. She considers herself a lifelong community activist and her background has been in community focused voluntary work for

40 years.

She believes in equality for all, and in provision of community services.

She wishes to continue as a councillor and a member of Wexford County Council policy committees to focus on the issue of the lack of housing and homelessness, in acquiring in land to increase the housing stock of Wexford County Council.

She holds a degree in rural development from UCD and going forward she wishes to address rural isolation on a grassroots level through preventative measures, which she says has a ‘ huge impact on peoples’ well being’.

Diarmuid Devereux, Fine Gael

Ballyoughter Diarmuid Devereux is a Gorey native, living in Ballyoughter, and he worked with

Telecom Eireann for

28 years.

He is the vice chairperson of St

Aidan’s Services in Gorey and the voluntary CEO of

Gorey Chamber of

Commerce, as well as chairperson of the Ballycanew/Ballyoughter Community Development Association. This is his first time to run for the local council, and he is passionate about business investment and tourism in the Gorey district as well as the environment.

He is also a former Wexford GAA County Board chairperson, where during his tenure debts were reduced by more than half. He believes that Gorey is in need of a modern and fit for purpose sports campus, which will cater to minority sports for young people.

Colette Nolan, Sinn Féin

Ferns Colette Nolan is a first time candidate, and she lives in Ferns village.

She attended Enniscorthy

Vocational School, and is studying social studies in Institute of Technology Carlow,

Wexford Campus.

She has been campaigning for 24 hour mental health services.

Looking to Kilmuckridge, she sees the main issues to be tackled across the whole district as social and affordable housing, front line emergency services, transport and road safety. She said that Kimuckridge is crying out for ease of access to services, and that there is no quick fix but she would like to work together in collaboration with other councillors to go about building up County Wexford, and putting it back on the map for positive reasons.

Nicky Wafer, Labour Party

Ballygarrett Nicholas Wafer, who is an electrician by trade, lives in

Ballygarrett with his wife Nichola and this is his first time to run for election.

He is interested in tourism and he runs a café in Ballygarrett.

He has worked with community development groups in Ballygarrett and Courtown and he volunteers training a camogie team in Ballygarrett. If elected he will prioritise the betterment of villages, ensuring that the budget for Kilmuckridge for discretionary spending on footpaths and roads does not get lost within the Gorey district following boundary changes. He also wants to be a go-between for public representatives and lobby ministers when requested to.

He aims to push for having rural rates for local shops and businesses revalued.

Elaine Clarke, Fine Gael

Courtown Originally from

Tallaght, Elaine Clarke moved to Courtown

20 years ago and this is her first time to run int he local elections.

Passionate about the movement for the creation of a new secondary school in

Gorey, Elaine has been actively lobbying the Government in recent months, and this was her first introduction to politics.

The mother of five who works in the technical scientific industry, aims to be a voice for the ordinary people.

Her priorities are improving amenities, and the condition of footpaths and street lights, securing a community complex in Courtown and the building of a third secondary school in the district.

She said as Gorey gets bigger as a town, facilities need to catch up and follow suit.

Edel Gahan, Fine Gael

Monamolin Edel Gahan was born in Boolavogue and lives in Monamolin, and this is her first time to run in the local elections.

Edel went to Coláiste

Bríde secondary school in Enniscorthy, studying later in UCD in the areas of rural development and the environment.

She was elected to vice chair of the IFA in County Wexford, the first woman to hold such a position in Wexford. She became vice chairperson of the National Farm Business Committee following this.

Married to Michael, the couple have two children, Rebecca and Michael James. Edel supports local mental health groups annually, such as Head To Toe, and is passionate about social inclusion, emotional health and well being and tackling the issues around mental health services in rural areas

Willie Kavanagh, Fianna Fáil

Oylegate Moving in from the Enniscorthy district,

Cllr Willie Kavanagh is from Slaney Inn,

Oylegate and has been active in politics but only became a sitting councillor three years ago, taking the vacancy created when

James Browne was elected to the Dáil in

2016.

Cllr Kavanagh was elected chairperson of Enniscorthy Municipal District in June 2018. His priorities going forward for Kilmuckridge are encouraging young people to stay in the area, by helping those in need to apply for planning permission.

He is also passionate about mental health and young people, and has been involved in Wexford County Council’s mental health sub committee seeking to implement a schools plan for suicide prevention and the increasing of funding for children’s mental health programmes, which he

Anthony Donohoe, Fine Gael

Annagh, Gorey From Annagh,

Gorey, Anthony

Donohoe has been a councillor in Gorey for five years. He is a committee member of the Kilanerin

Ballyfad Community Development

Association. As a councillor, he was able to resolve emergency housing situations and assisted people with planning applications. Going forward, he hopes that the council will get to a stage where emergency housing is not seen as an option, instead serviced sites and housing can be delivered to young couples. One of his main priorities is the upgrading of the waste water treatment plants, as some villages are at capacity, such as Camolin and Kilanerin-Ballyfad, which is obstructing development.

He has been lobbying Irish Water, but feels a hands-on approach is needed from the council.

Oliver Walsh, Fine Gael

Inch, Blackwater Oliver Walsh is a sitting councillor from

Inch, Blackwater and previously contested the election in the Enniscorthy electoral area.

He began his journey in local politics some 18 years ago, and moving into Kilmuckridge, his main focus will be on rural issues such as conditions and safety on county roads, community enhancement and local improvement, in getting rural communities more involved with town and village renewal schemes to help communities to improve facilities themselves.

Cllr Walsh is a farmer by trade, but also has a passion for horses and equestrian sports nationally and around the local area. Oliver went to Coláiste an Átha in Kilmuckridge, and he has a keen interest in all agriculture in farming issues within the county.

Pip Breen, Fianna Fáil

Killenagh Born in Boolavogue,

Cllr Pip Breen lives in

Curraduff, Killenagh,

Gorey and he has been a councillor since

2014. Previously a farmer by trade, he is an active member of the farming community and has a strong interest in the GAA.

What he sees as the main issues for Kilmuckridge are around connectivity.

He said that rural roads are in a bad state and there is ‘serious situation out there’ around mental health and isolation. He wishes to increase safety measures particularly traffic calming outside all schools and highlights the need for proper sewage systems, investment in infrastructure to create employment and study options for young people.

Pip also wants to see an increase in the number of cath labs centres outside Dublin.

Joe Sullivan, Fianna Fáil

Ballywilliam, Gorey Joe Sullivan lives in Ballywilliam, Gorey with his wife Patricia and his two sons.He was a member of the

Garda Siochána for over 25 years.

He took up his seat as a councillor in 2014 and he is also involved in the family business,

Sullivan Property

Lettings.

Cllr Sullivan’s priorities going forward, if re-elected, are around obtaining planning permission for people in the local area and the restoration of Gorey Garda Station to district status.

He is also passionate about all children being guaranteed a place in a Gorey secondary school, and bringing people’s voices to local council, particularly elderly people.

Joe wants to see further development happening in Gorey, and he is a supporter of community and sporting organisations.