GENERAL ELECTION: Mary Hande hits out: ‘We are educating young people to leave’

Graiguecullen teacher and Aontú candidate Ms Mary Hande has argued that we must put an end to young Irish people leaving in droves.

The candidate has given her support to Aontú's proposed €5k relocation package for Irish workers to return home and fill roles within medical and construction industries. 

Workers would also receive a €10k tax break if they remain in the job for four years. 

“We all know that the amount of jobs available in Ireland are dropping, while they’re going up in Australia,” said Ms Hande.

“We need to bring home our young people to fill essential roles such as doctors, nurses, teachers, construction workers and the Gardaí. We need to get them back here, and to give them a reason to stay here,” Ms Hand stressed. 

“It would also be a push to increase wages in sectors across the board. To me, it’s a great incentive, and would increase the amount of apprenticeships from 1,500 to 3,000 a year,” she said.

Pictured: Mary Hande signs her nomination papers for the upcoming General Election

“It’s sad to see that we are actually educating people to leave our country. A fellow candidate in Donegal has seen her daughter emigrate, along with 15 other classmates. Young people can’t afford to live in Ireland through taxes, and worries as to whether they can afford a deposit for a home,” the candidate said.

In contrast, Aontú have recently launched their 'Common Sense Immigration Policy',  which strongly opposes the current Government's handling of immigration and the processing of asylum applicants.

The party propose a new agency to oversee 'border control, the processing of applications, and enforcement of deportations'. Aontú has also pledged to create an Irish sea border to monitor the flow of people through Irish ports and the Northern Ireland border.

“Aontú are the first party to really raise the issues surrounding the Government’s handling of immigration, until opinion polls began to show that over 70% of the population are uncomfortable with the policies,” Ms Hande explained. 

“Through our parliamentary questions, it has shown that it is taking years for thousands of applicants to be processed through the country.  What is the point of having a system that differentiates who needs help and who doesn’t, to have both groups staying in Ireland?” Ms Hand questioned.

“We know that thousands of people are arriving into Ireland, who have lost their documentation. This makes it even more difficult to process them as well. We have these laws, we just need to implement them,” she said.

“Asylum seekers apply through these laws, and if they don’t satisfy the requirements, the next step is deportation. It is a tragedy to see people living in tents, we are compassionate. 

"We would like to see them in warm accommodation while their applications are being processed, there is currently no compassion in the current system. We simply need to enforce the laws we have in place,” Ms Hande explained.

Ms Hande is a teacher in Heywood Community School in Ballinakill, and has also been heavily involved in the battle to secure more funding for special education resources in Laois. 

It was recently announced that St Francis Special School in Portlaoise, and Ms Hande’s own school in Ballinakill, have both had their special education funding pulled by the Government.

“Peadar Tóbín made contact on our behalf with Minister for Special Education and Inclusion, Hildegarde Naughton.  Deputy Tóibín wanted a solid number on the amount of Laois schools that have had their funding put on hold,” she said.

“Minister Naughton pawned the issue off to Minister for Education Norma Foley, that it would be better for us to address her. I found this unbelievable, and the civil servants in Minister Foley’s department wrote back that it is an issue that can’t be dealt with until after the elections. We are still continuing to push this issue,” Ms Hand affirmed.

“Parents are desperately worried and anxious to get responses from the Government on special school places, and places within ASD units in mainstream schools,” she said.

“There are parents as far as Cork contacting local schools to see if there are places here. As parents have told me, this didn’t just happen overnight. I am a teacher who works every day in this area, I am on the front line with parents and students. If I were in Government, we would not give up until we get to the bottom of this issue,” Ms Hande affirmed.

The building of housing in Laois is one of many policies pushed by Ms Hande, who hopes to introduce a zero VAT rate on construction materials to encourage this.

“At present, construction companies have to share plasterers between sites, and the cost of materials have gone up sky high. Both social housing and private housing are needed, and we hope to accelerate this,” she said.

“ We want more housing in Laois, particularly for one and two bedroom applicants. People are trapped in emergency accommodation, it's unacceptable,” Ms Hande stated.

 The candidate believes that voters should support Aontú because their actions speak louder than words.

“We are the only party to have pushed for a ‘no, no’ vote in the recent referendum, and we were right,” she said.

“We aren't a party that just talks the talk. We pushed for accountability in the Government.”

Aontú is currently the only pro-life party in Dáil Éireann. Ms Hande has said that pro-life policies  are not the party's only focus.

“We aren’t just pro-life, but we would have canvasses for the removal of the 8th amendment. Our pushing for the three day waiting period has saved so many children,” she said.

Mary Hande is one of ten Aontú candidates nationally. 

Born and raised in Graiguecullen on the Laois/Carlow border, Mary Hande is a teacher in Heywood Community School, Ballinakill.

Having graduated from DCU with her teaching degree, Ms Hande began working in an access programme for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ms Hande has also worked in various marketing positions, along with a stint with Bord na Móna.
The teacher first joined Aontú in 2018, and renewed her membership in 2024.

Ms Hande previously ran in the 2019 local elections for Carlow County Council, earning 310 first preference votes.

The candidate describes herself as a “passionate, but forceful person”, who “sees things through to the end”. The teacher staged an ASTI walkout of Heywood CS on November19 in protest of changes to the Senior Cycle cirriculum.

Ms Hande has been heavily involved the advocacy of funding for special education schools in Laois, and the allocation of ASD units in mainstream schools.

The candidate want to be a voice for people in all sectors, and pushes for accountability in Government.