Laois County Council local election candidate line up revealed
A total of 39 candidates have put their names forward as candidates for the local elections in Laois as nomination closed at the weekend.
The deadline for nominations passed on Saturday but no new names were put forward after the close of business in County Hall on Friday, May 3. There are 19 seats up for grabs on Laois County Council when the public goes to the polls on May 24.
Fianna Fáil lead the way with 11 candidates while Fine Gael are running ten candidates each. There are ten candidates going it alone as independents while Sinn Féin has four in the field. The Labour Party and Renua Ireland have two each.
The Portlaoise Municipal District is the biggest electoral area with seven seats on offer. The district, which takes in Abbeyleix and Ballinakill, has attracted the largest field with 16 candidates entering the race.
However, the biggest battle looks likely to be in the sprawling Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District where 14 candidates are bidding to win one of the six seats.
A disappointing number of candidates have put their names in the hat for the Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District. While the area is the fastest growing area in Laois in terms population, just nine politicians are in the mix for six seats. Just two of the candidates are based in the two big towns of Port and Grauigue which have the highest concentrations of voters.
Despite a push to get more women into politics, the race in Laois is male-dominated. Of the 38 going forward more than three quarters are men. One of the municipal districts has just one female candidate.
The growth in the number of people born outside Ireland who have moved to Laois is not reflected on the ticket. Just two candidates in the race come from a non-Irish background.
All but one of the 19 outgoing councillors are running. Cllr John Moran is not in the race but his daughter Aisling is a candidate in the Port-Graigue District.
CANDIDATES
Portlaoise Municipal District (Seven seats)
Timothy Adejumo, non-party
Willie Aird, Fine Gael
Thomasina Connell, Fine Gael,
Tom Duffy, non-Party
Dominic Dunne, Renua Ireland
Caroline Dwane Stanley, Sinn Féin
John Joe Fennelly, Fianna Fáil
Catherine Fitzgerald, Fianna Fáil
John Gormley, Sinn Féin
Naeem Iqbal, non-party
Donal Kelly, Fianna Fáil
Pauline Madigan, Fianna Fáil
Noel O’Rourke, Renua Ireland
Judith Preston-Grace, non-party
Mary Sweeney, Fine Gael
Noel Tuohy, Labour Party
Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District (Six seats)
Eoin Barry, Labour Party
Ben Brennan, non-party
Padraig Fleming, Fianna Fáil
Paschal McEvoy, Fianna Fáil
Aisling Moran, Fine Gael
Tom Mulhall, Fine Gael
Aidan Mullins, Sinn Féin
Deirdre Ó Connell-Hopkins, Fianna Fáil
Vivienne Phelan, Fine Gael
Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District (Six seats)
Conor Bergin, Fine Gael
Paddy Bracken, Fianna Fáil
Ollie Clooney, non-party
Fergal Conroy, Fine Gael
Brian Furlong, non-party
Declan Good, Fianna Fáil
David Goodwin, Fine Gael
Ger Hogan, non-party
Lorna Holohan-Garry, Sinn Féin
James Kelly, non-party
John King, Fine Gael
Seamús McDonald, Fianna Fáil
Liam O’Neill, Fianna Fáil
Brendan Phelan, non-party
Party breakdown
Fianna Fáil -11
Fine Gael - 10
Sinn Féin - 4
Labour - 2
Renua - 2
Non party 10
Gender breakdown
Women 10
Men 29