Connolly confident he will deliver again for Ballymote-Tubbercurry electoral area

IN the seven-seater Ballymote Tubbercurry electoral area Martin Connolly is one of three outgoing Fine Gael councillors seeking re-election on June 7.

A postman for the past 35 years, Connolly hadn't intended to run last time out, but when his party were struggling to find someone willing to put their name forward in the Tubbercurry area in 2019, he said he would step into the gap and run if no one else would.

While he had never served before as a councillor, Connolly was no novice when he stepped into the political arena, having played an important role in supporting former Cllr Michael Fleming, his cousin, in several elections.

When it was his turn to step forward, he got stuck in and emerged with 6.3% of the first preference vote, but was almost 900 votes short of the quota, so he had to bide his time as 13 candidates seeking seven seats were eventually whittled down to the winning seven.

Paul Taylor of Fianna Fáil took the first seat, elected on the second count, Joe Queenan, a former Fianna Fáil councillor who left that party in 2015 to become an independent candidate, was second home on the seventh count while Connolly and party colleague Gerard Mullaney were two of three candidates deemed elected on the tenth count without reaching the quota - which was 1,999 votes.

This time out, so far, there are 14 declared candidates, six of the seven outgoing councillors all seeking another term, only Martin Baker of Fianna Fáil opting to end his council career as he steps away.

Connolly admits he found his first year as a councillor an uphill task as he got his head around how things are done but he proved a quick learner and five years later is very keen to continue the work he started when he became a councillor.

“After the last five years in the Council I know how the system works.”

Living three kilometres from Tubbercurry out the Ballymote road in Powellsboro where he was born and inherited the family farm from his father, Cllr Connolly sees his home area and the town of Tubbercurry as hugely important in terms of his council efforts.

Married to Stephanie, they have five children who Martin says are “scattered” across the world.

61 years young, he jokes that he has bought two new pairs of runners for the campaign, and he predicts they'll be well worn out by the time people cast their votes. He's looking forward to getting out and meeting people something he does every day as it is in his An Post work.

Indeed, some of his 2019 posters, which picked up on what he does for a living, will be getting a run out - those of you reading this from the area will recall they had the message ‘Connolly can deliver, will deliver and does deliver'.

“They caught the eye and worked well, I will be using them again,” he said.

He feels that he can achieve plenty as a councillor but also feels that too much power is held by central government. “I have an issue with that and would like to see more of the power and control being given to the local County Council.”

He said party politics plays little or no part in how work gets done at Council level and he feels it has to be this way: “Politics is very local, and the issues are very local.”

The biggest issue for him and one which he has been asked about time and again since he started his canvas for June 7, is housing.

“Housing is a huge issue for every councillor. Every councillor has a list of people they are trying to deal with and assist, there is a lack of housing, and it is something we need to address. In my five years 20 new social houses have been allocated in my area and another 15 are due to be allocated in May 2024, but we need the same again and even at that, it wouldn't solve the problem.

“There is huge demand for single bedroom apartments or property, they are few and far between,” he said.

Cllr Connolly has pursued the provision of a new garda barracks with great gusto since he was elected. His very first motion on election in 2019 called for the provision of a new garda station in the town.

He asked the Council to link in with the Office of Public Works (OPW) to buy a disused building which happened. The proposal is now at design stage, the building itself has been vacant for 14 years.

There's no argument that a new station is needed, at present ten gardaí and two garda sergeants struggle to find room to move in what is a very small and cramped workspace.

“We have a tiny garda barracks in Tubbercurry with communal toilets, it's just not fit for purpose,” Cllr Connolly said.

He is confident the project will move “fairly quickly now, I'm hopeful that in a year to 18 months we will see a lot of movement on that”.

For Martin one of the other big issues raised regularly on the doorstep is healthcare and the speed with which people can access hospital appointments - the lack of speed in getting an appointment is the big issue.

“I have constituents looking for appointments and they are left waiting months and months for much-needed surgery. As a councillor I am limited in what I can do about that, but I have the ear of my local TD and he can lobby for me and my constituents.

“The other big health question in my area is the need for a new healthcare facility in Tubbercurry which has got planning permission and is going to tender later this year.

“The Primary Care Centre, much like the garda station, is too small. We need a rebuild and the plans for the new building are fabulous, the quicker it is built the better. It will be built on the same site as the existing building.

“The new Primary Care Centre is proceeding as quick as possible and I have lobbied consistently on that,” he said.

Again locally, he says, there is a real concern with safe and easy access to the N17. Getting safely on to the N17 via local roads in the area is an issue of much concern. “We have secured agreement from the NRA to provide two new junctions this year and two more in the following year. However, what we really need is the green light for the Knock to Collooney bypass which has been discussed for 20 years now.

“We need that to progress faster. The project could take another five or six years before you see any major work on this project,” he said.

Commenting on the Town Centre First plan for Tubbercurry which hit some turbulence when locals expressed concerns at the loss of parking spaces in the town square, Cllr Connolly accepted the projected loss of parking spaces had prompted some comment. He said the concern was recognised and the plan now sees no more than eight spaces lost, and these will be replaced some 100 metres away from their original location at the square.

“That Town Centre First Plan is something I support as it will offer so much for Tubbercurry and will make the square far more accessible to wheelchair users in particular,” he said.

He is very much in favour of the project which he adds is “a lot bigger than reconfiguring the town square” and he looks forward to funding being secured to make the plans a reality.

“We have an application in for funding of €6 million for the first phase. We are very fortunate to have had Tubbercurry selected for this Government initiative - Tubbercurry is the second biggest town in Sligo and having the funding granted will see this project go to detailed design level,” he said.

While Tubbercurry, with its huge population base is always going to be a place where he must focus attention, Cllr Connolly is also very aware of the need to represent people from areas including Bellaghy, Aclare, Cloonacool, Achonry, Bunninnaden and Gurteen.

“That would be my main area and where 95 per cent of the contacts I get come from, in these areas infrastructure, roadworks, and jobs are key issues.”

He agrees that crime is an area of concern in his area and in all parts of rural Ireland. “Rural communities are living in fear because of crime, and I accept that gardaí cannot be everywhere, but it is important and welcome to see a garda squad car in the rural areas. It gives people great confidence to see that the gardaí are ‘out and about' in the rural areas as well as the towns, such as Tubbercurry.

“There is always a need for more gardaí in the community. It is important to have gardaí who can speak to people and to visit second level schools such as St Attracta's in Tubbercurry.

“The gardaí need the public too, so it is all about involvement by the community and the gardaí here.

Looking at what he enjoys most about the work he does, he says it's all about local issues and local people. “I am very community focused, I also had a huge interest in politics, I suppose what really motivates me is a wish to improve the lot of people who live in my area, and I know there are limits to what we can achieve as county councillors, but we can also be a vehicle for change and improvement,” he says looking back on his five year term.

As the election date gets closer (June 7) he says he feels the public are still not fully engaged with the fact that an election is on the horizon. “On the doors some people were surprised as they felt the election date is a long way away, but June 7 is less than two months from now, so for me I have been knocking doors now for the last week and more, it's a big area and I am getting a good reception, the issues are local and as I said earlier, very much about housing, healthcare and infrastructure.”

One talking point in his area is the provision of a Greenway on the old rail line. He's very much in favour of the proposed Greenway going ahead. “We would all love to see a train back on the track which will house most but not all of the Greenway, but realistically, having seen that track overgrown for the best part of 60 years, I don't see a train or railway line coming back anywhere within the next 15 to 20 years.

“Sure, if it does come, it will be very welcome and the Greenway will have to defer to the rail line then, but in the meantime I see the Greenway progressing within the next three years, it can't be left idle for the next 20 to 30 years.”