COUNTY WEXFORD’S LOCAL ELECTIONS CANDIDATES

Robbie Ireton, Labour Party

Courtown Cllr Robert Ireton lives in Courtown with his wife, Mary, and has been involved in local politics for

15 years. He is a member of the area policing committee, and of Wexford rural water monitoring committee. He has worked with the travellers’ accommodation committee as well as people with disabilities in Wexford.

He wants to eliminate the use of prefabs in schools across the district if re-elected, and work on more affordable housing to tackle homelessness. He aims to make woodlands and footpaths accessible, particularly for wheelchair users, and to continue to work on infrastructure, including a new school in the area. He also hopes to work with employers to help combat unemployment, and see the council consult with local contracters to maintain work within the county.

Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fáil

Ramsgate Village, Gorey Malcolm Byrne is from Gorey and he has been a councillor since 2009, involved in local politics for ten years prior to that.

He holds a degree in law and in arbitration, and is head of communications with the Higher Education

Authority.

He is chairman of the board Creagh College and is involved with local community groups.

His main priorities for local council are focusing on sustainable planning for Gorey to be a great place to live and do business, to ‘protect and develop that reputation’ with a focus on community, sports and art.

This particularly applies to having a sufficient supply of housing, making sure villages can grow through water and sewerage capacity, and having enough school places for all children of the area.

Marie Doyle, Sinn Féin

Nunnery Lane, New Ross New Ross town resident Marie Doyle has been the sole female and Sinn Féin municipal councillor in New Ross for the past four months having been co-opted on to Wexford County

Council in January.

For the past two years she has been working as a social care worker with teenagers in residential care units. Marie, who, aged 30, is the youngest candidate running in the New Ross district, said she is campaigning to bring fresh energy to New-Ross, promoting employment, new businesses and better facilities for young people in the town. Housing, access to services – eg mental health, the GP crisis and disability – and all local issues. are among her priorities

Donal Kenny, Fianna Fáil

Craanford His first time to contest the local elections, Donal

Kenny is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his late father, Jack

Kenny, and uncle,

Ned Purcell, who were involved in local politics with Fianna

Fáil.

Born and raised in

Craanford, he works as a farmer and agricultural contractor across the North Wexford and Gorey area. He attended Craanford National School and Gorey Vocational School.

Donal is passionate about ensuring rural residents can obtain planning permission in their own area, supporting positive mental health initiatives, and improving the spend on road infrastructure in rural areas and provision. He also wants to ensure a third secondary school for the area, and maintain adequate sporting and leisure facilities for youth in the area.

Cinnamon Blackmore, PBP

Hunter’s Green, Gorey Cinnamon lives in

Gorey and this is her first time running for local council.

She said that her main priorities if elected are improving rural mental health services and CAMS, as well as tackling the lack of affordable accommodation in

Gorey, as the situation at the moment is ‘capitalism gone mad,’ she said.

She is interested in women’s issues and campaigned for the repeal the eight referendum, and held a vigil for women affected by the CervicalCheck crisis.

As a mother of a child with autism, she set up a support group for parents of children with special needs in 2012, which offered an open space for children and their siblings. Going forward she would like to prioritise affordable childcare for parents.

Michael Sheehan, Fianna Fáil

Cross Lane, New Ross Cllr Michael Sheehan has been a mainstay on New Ross Town and municipal councils since he was first elected in June

1999.

Cllr Sheehan is from

New Ross, a town he has represented for

20 years. Very active in Wexford County

Council’s Economic Development section, Cllr Sheehan has held public meetings calling for action to improve the GP crisis in New Ross, along with getting more money for pensioners.

Among the issues he is campaigning on are: economic development and commercial renewal (advance factory, two enterprise centres and area plans); Town and Village Renewal schemes, employment and training services, youth, sports and community investment, housing and town park improvements, social inclusion funding and more services for the elderly living locally.

Jimmy Fleming, Independent

Riverchapel Jimmy Fleming, who lives in Riverchapel, was born in Scarnagh, Coolreaney, and he attended Gorey CBS.

He now works as a publican running

Jimmy’z pub in Riverchapel, and he previously served as a former town councillor in Gorey for ten years until his stepping back from politics in 2012. Jimmy started his political career as a Sinn Fein councillor before he defected to Fianna fail in 2007.

Describing himself as a ‘straight talker’, if elected he would like to focus on lobbying the ministers to create jobs in the area to take the pressure of commuters from Riverchapel, Courtown and the surrounding urban areas. He is also passionate about securing another secondary school for the area, and has been involved with the local residents committees in the area.

John Dwyer, Independent

Ryleen, New Ross FORMER Eirigi and

Sinn Fein county councillor John

Dwyer has thrown his name in the hat as an Independent in the upcoming local elections.

John has been in politics since 1999 and has been involved in union activities, prior to running successfully as a Sinn Fein councillor. ‘I became involved with the party and then found out local politicians can actually help people,’ he said.

He amassed considerable experience representing constituents across the county as a town and county councillor over three decades.

He is optimistic about the role the bypass will have on New Ross. Among the issues he is campaigning on is jobs, tackling dereliction in New Ross and the development of river based tourism in New Ross.

Michael Whelan, Fianna Fáil

Ballycullane Michael Whelan was first elected in

2014 as a Fianna Fáil councillor.

The married, father-of-three from Ballycullane has worked in the construction trade for the last 25 years.

He is actively involved with the community and is on the board of

Hook Heritage and Hook Rural Tourism. Cllr Whelan has been chairman of the Joint Policing Committee for the past five years and is a former chairperson of Wexford Ladies Football. He has also served as the parents’ representative on the Board of Management of St Mary’s Secondary School, New Ross.

His priorities include: protecting rural communities, working with the elderly and vulnerable, promoting tourism at an exciting time for the tourism business in our area and job creation.

Fionntán O’Súilleabháin, Sinn Féin

Cnoc Bhaile Thomáis, Guaire Living in Cnoc Bhaile

Thomáis, Fionntán O’Súilleabháin is a primary school teacher in Gaelscoil Moshíológ. He is married to Alejandra and has one son.

He was elected a councillor in Gorey in 2014.

Cllr O’Súilleabháin is a member of WWETB, the Community & Environment special policy committee, and a board member of local schools and tidy towns. He is a committee member of the Kilanerin/Ballyfad Community Development group and Hollyfort Development Group. If elected, he wishes to bring vacant dwellings to use and increase HAP limits for Gorey. He also wishes to prioritise local safety for children as a director of Gorey Youth Needs. He wants to improve conditions of rural roads, and focus on mental health and CAMHS, as well as tackling ‘ the scourge of drugs and related crime’.

John Fleming, Fianna Fáil

Palace West, Clonroche First elected in 2014,

John Fleming is the current chairman of

New Ross Municipal

District council.

An auctioneer by profession, the married, family man is campaigning on the following issues; neglect of services in rural villages and surrounding areas including broadband, post office closures, public bus service, street lighting etc.

He said planning permission is also to restrictive and feels dumping is a huge issue throughout the countryside and has to be tackled head on and at source.

Cllr Fleming has been in court giving evidence to prosecute dumpers and has cases pending. He has been pressing at every county conucil meeting looking for the advance factory in New Ross which has planning to be built as soon as possible.

Pat Barden, Independent

Adamstown Well-known Wexford

GAA man Pat Barden is entering the political field of play in the local elections.

The Adamstown family man, who played inter-county for Wexford football and hurling teams, is from a long tailed family with roots in the Adamstown and Fethard-on-Sea area.

An electrical contractor, Pat, 53, trains football teams.

He has strong connections in New Ross, being married to Mairead Colfer, the daughter of the late New Ross butcher Joe Colfer. Among the issues Pat is campaigning on are: rural isolation, autism/special needs, GAA and community initiatives, better rural roads, housing, health, tourism.

He will be aiming to attract a lot of voters both north and south of the N25, as he faces a stern challenge