There are nine female candidates in the Portlaoise Municipal District contesting this year’s Local Elections, which accounts for 45% of the overall field.
That figure in Portlaoise is considerably above the national average of 31% but Laois as a whole is below average despite a record number of female contesting the elections in the county.
The nine female candidates in Portlaoise are: Colette Byrne (Independent Ireland), Thomasina Connell (Fine Gael), Caroline Dwane-Stanley (Sinn Fein), Catherine Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil), Pauline Flanagan (Independent), Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein), Rosie Palmer (Green Party), Martha Ryan (Aontu) and Marie Tuohy (Labour).
Sitting councillor Aisling Moran (Independent) and Vivienne Phelan (Fine Gael) are contesting in the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District while Helen Campion and Lorna Holohan-Garry are the Sinn Fein candidates in Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick along with Fiona Dunne of The Green Party.
Across Laois the are 14 female candidates in all out of 47 for 30%. In 2019, there were ten female candidates and in 2014, there were eight.
Currently there are five female councillors in Laois out of 19. A record five were elected in 2019 though Mary Sweeney (Fine Gael) resigned with Barry Walsh co-opted in her place. Noel Tuohy’s decision to retire and the co-option of his wife Marie means that there are still five females in the outgoing council.
The other three female councillors are Thomasina Connell, Caroline Dwane-Stanley and Catherine Fitzgerald in Portlaoise as well as Aisling Moran in Graiguecullen-Portarlington.
Indeed four of the seven Portlaoise councillors are women. In contrast, there has never been a female councillor in the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District, or in either of the previous areas prior to the new district being formed in 2014.
“Cabra/Glasnevin has the highest number of female candidates of any Local Electoral Area in the country with 10 women running out of a total of 21 candidates,” said the group See Her Elected in a statement.
“Both Kinnegad and Portlaoise Local Electoral Areas also feature high numbers of female candidates with nine women running in each area.
“A record number of women (106) or 15% are running as Independents in this year’s Local Elections.
“Sinn Féin is the party with the highest number of female candidates (150) or 22% followed by Fine Gael accounting for 14% of female candidates (98); Fianna Fáil at 13% (90); Green Party at 9.6% (65); Labour at 6.6% (45); Social Democrats at 5.7% (39); Aontú account for 3.6% of female candidates (25); People Before Profit-Solidarity at 3.2% (22). Smaller parties account for 37 female candidates or 5.5%.”
SEE ALSO – Check out all our 2024 Local Election coverage here
