Laois General Election candidate within touching distance of finishing 45 year apprenticeship

Cllr Willie Aird has been on some sort of election campaign trail since March this year when he started to canvas for the local elections in June.

As soon as the votes were counted he was on the road again looking for the backing of Laois Fine Gael on his quest to be his party's candidate in the General Election.

After he sealed that deal in September, he was on the highways and byways again in search of the public's votes in the November 29 poll.

He's now within touching distance of a lifetime's ambition to win a seat in the Dáil repeating the feat of his grandfather and namesake William Aird in 1927.

In truth, he's been working towards this goal all his adult life but has had to be patient as the Flanagan name has been a constant on the General Election ballot paper for Fine Gael since the 1950s.

But once Charlie Flanagan announced he would be stepping down, Cllr Aird went straight for the gap.

“I always had a burning passion to be a TD if a vacancy arose...It was something that I always had in the back of my mind but the opportunity never came,” he said of his desire to take up the baton.

Nearly half a century of being a local politician has made him an expert on local Government but national politics requires different skills. And to create a sporting analogy he's trying to make the leap from club hurler to playing for the county. And not every club hurler can cut it for the county. It could be the one weak point for Cllr Aird.

He believes that he has made an impact on Laois County Council through his determination to get things done. He says he will use a similar approach in Dublin.

“I never took no for an answer in the council and that is why I was able to deliver for the people of my area down through the years and the result of that was getting elected every five years,” he said.

He says himself that he will be making a “ big step up” by going into the Houses of the Oireachtas where there'll be over 200 TDs and Senators all looking to deliver for their local constituents.

He says however that when he set out in politics he was aged just 19 in a council where all the other councillors were much older.

“I waded my way through that and educated in the best way I could to deliver for the people and I don't see any difference in the challenge regardless of how many people are in there. I will be pitching for my county the whole time.

“I know that you have to be a parliamentarian and the country comes first but my role up there in the Dáil is to make sure that I deliver for the people of Laois.

So what does Cllr Aird want to do for Laois people? Helping people who can't afford to buy houses or earn too much to get a council house is a priority for him.

“There is no avenue of help for these people,” he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Cllr Willie Aird after being elected to Laois County Council in June 2024. Pic: Alf Harvey

Cllr Aird suggests that a Housing Assistance Programme for such people. He also believes that there should be a debate on interest rates and possibly halving them for some earners to help them buy homes.

Ultimately he says more houses have to be built in towns right around Laois not just in Portlaoise.

He says new housing has been an issue on the doorsteps but so also have been calls for dereliction to be tackled. He accepts that delays in delivery can be a problem getting projects off the ground such as the County Hotel site in Portlaoise.

Another area of action is support for business and shops who he says must be supported as they are needed to keep rural communities alive.

“All of these places are crying out for development. There is no need to have everything in the urban setting,” he said.

However, he knows that Portlaoise's development must continue. He points to the potential of the J17 National Enterprise Park in Portlaoise as being a magnet for jobs for young people in Laois.

Laois has a big farming vote and Cllr Aird knows all about that as he is a dairy farmer in Portlaoise. He's also aware of the difficulties facing and accepts that Derogation and Mercosur are red line issues for farmers.

He believes that huge investments have been made by farmers to improve water quality so that derogation can be maintained and not quashed by the EU.

He said a reduction in Irish beef production would result in Brazilian beef being imported, killing off the Irish beef industry.

He said farmers have to be included in the fight by politicians and civil servants and he gives the example of the ACRES scheme which he said is a disaster because farmers were not part of its design.

“I am going around to family farms and telling them that they have a safe pair of hands in me,” he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Willie Aird with his wife Anne Marie after being selected by Fine Gael at the Laois General Election selection convention.

Party and candidates locally have put value for taxpayers money on the table as an election issue. The bike shed and the children's hospital are examples of this. In Laois there was annoyance over the cost of €7.5 m Portlaoise library and the N77 road project. The council has just signed off on a €124 m annual budget for 2025 - it cost the local authority €55m to manage in 2015.

Cllr Aird says the Council's budget has gone up to match demands caused by population growth. He adds that the council is now spending money right around Laois and Portlaoise is looking a lot better than it was.

As for the Abbeyleix Road work, Cllr Aird said strict conditions were placed on the council to deliver it in the way it was completed. The aim was to discourage traffic away from the N77. He believes it has proven to be a success.

Cllr Aird acknowledges local misgivings about the cost of the library and Covid-19 drove up costs. He said he was “very proud to stand by the library” which has brought life back to the lower square in Portlaoise.

Fine Gael prided itself on a safe pair of hands for managing the public's money but the bike shed and the children's hospital have damaged this reputation. Cllr Aird says the waste was 'indefensible' but adds that there are also contractual issues.

He insists that spending problems should not be allowed to delay further development of a new courthouse.

Cllr Aird has frustrations with not being able to deliver due to red tape and believes he, if elected, must hold ministers responsible in the Dáil.

He concludes with a comment on why he's the top candidate.

“I wish everybody the best of luck but I believe I am the best person going for the job,” he said.

ABOUT WILLIE AIRD

Willie Aird is a farmer and public representative from Portlaoise.

He has been a Fine Gael public representative since 1979, when he was first elected to Portlaoise Town Commission as the then youngest Fine Gael public representative in Ireland at the age of 19.

Following his election to Laois County Council and Portlaoise Town Commission in 1985, he has successfully contested each election since, topping the poll in the Portlaoise electoral area in the last six local elections.

He has served as Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council and the old Portlaoise Town on multiple occasions.

Aged 66, he is married to Ann Marie, he is a dairy farmer in the heart of Portlaoise.

He intends to bring in help to run the farm if elected as a TD.

His grandfather, William Patrick Aird was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála for the Leix–Offaly constituency at the September 1927 general election. He died aged 31 while a TD in 1931.