A record number of 20 candidates will battle it out for the seven seats in the Portlaoise Municipal District in Laois County Council.
Though a predominantly urban area, nine of 31 polling stations are outside of the county town – in Abbeyleix, Ballyroan, Ballinakill, Raheen, Knock and The Rock.
Over 10,000 votes were cast across the district five years ago – with close to 70% of those in Portlaoise.
All seven outgoing councillors are seeking election once again: Willie Aird (Fine Gael), Thomasina Connell (Fine Gael), Caroline Dwane-Stanley (Sinn Féin), John Joe Fennelly (Fianna Fáil), Catherine Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil), Marie Tuohy (Labour) and Barry Walsh (Fine Gael).
In the case of Tuohy and Walsh, they were co-opted during the term of the last council following the retirements of Noel Tuohy and Mary Sweeney.
Ten of the 20 candidates in this area agreed to be interviewed by LaoisToday as part of our 10-minute Local Election podcast series.
Candidates could avail of an in-person interview in the LaoisToday office in the Portlaoise Enterprise Centre – or to conduct their interview online over Zoom.
All candidates were asked to address the same three items: their background, what they’d like to see done in the next five years of Laois County Council and why someone should vote for them.
Under the brief profile of the candidates below, you can click through to listen to their episode in full.
Bolaji Adeyanju (Independent)
Bolaji Adeyanju is an Independent candidate running in the Portlaoise Municipal District. A Nigerian native, he chats about how he came to live in Ireland, his involvement in the African community here and his experiences of settling in Ireland.
He also discusses some of the key issues he sees as a council candidate in Portlaoise, why he feels he would make a good councillor and what he’d like to achieve if he is elected.
Willie Aird (Fine Gael)
The first time Willie Aird was eligible to vote, he voted for himself! That was way back in 1979 when he was elected to the then Portlaoise Town Commission and he duly won a seat on Laois County Council in 1985 and has subsequently held his seat at each of the six Local Elections since.
He talks about what has changed over the years, what has stayed the same, how he still has the same energy more than 40 years later – and the prospect of being a General Election candidate.
Thomasina Connell (Fine Gael)
Thomasina Connell was elected to the Portlaoise Municipal District in 2019, taking the last seat after a mammoth battle as a first-time Local Election candidate.
She has since served five years on the council, including a year as Cathaoirleach and made history by becoming the first Laois councillor to have a baby while in office. She chats about her experience across that five-year term and what she’d like to see done over the next five years.
Dom Dunne (Independent)
Dom Dunne came within just over 50 votes of winning the final seat in the Portlaoise Municipal District in 2019, then as a candidate for the Renua party.
He is back on this occasion as an Independent where he is hoping to build on that vote.
He speaks about his background, the challenges that he sees around Portlaoise and his main priorities over the next five years if he’s elected.
Caroline Dwane-Stanley (Sinn Féin)
Caroline Dwane-Stanley was first elected to Laois County Council in 2014 and is seeking a third term in the Portlaoise Municipal District.
In this wide-ranging chat she chats about how she first got involved in local activism and some of the key projects she’d like to see developed in Portlaoise in the coming years. She is hoping for a record Sinn Féin representation when the council resumes and says that a vote for her party represents a vote for change.
Pauline Flanagan (Independent)
Pauline Flanagan missed out on a seat at her first attempt in 2019 when she was then a Fianna Fáil candidate and running under her maiden name Madigan.
Now she is an Independent and looking to build on that experience from five years ago as well as her 2020 General Election bid. She chats about her decision to leave Fianna Fáil and discusses some of the issues she sees in Portlaoise, which she’d like to help address if elected.
Maria McCormack (Sinn Féin)
Maria McCormack is a new candidate for Sinn Féin in Portlaoise. Originally from Tipperary, she moved to Ballyroan at a young age and has lived in Portlaoise for a long number of years.
She brings considerable political heritage through her great-grandfather Jim Lewis from Morette in Emo who was a councillor. She chats about why she decided to join Sinn Féin, working alongside Brian Stanley and what she would like to achieve if she’s elected.
Rosie Palmer (Green Party)
Rosie Palmer is a first-time candidate, from Ballinakill, running for the Green Party in the Portlaoise Municipal District.
Part of Minister Pippa Hackett’s parliamentary team, she chats about how she became involved with the Greens, the projects she would like to work on and how becoming a mother at a young age has helped shaped her outlook on local and national issues.
Marie Tuohy (Labour)
Marie Tuohy is no stranger to the election campaign trail – having been a key figure alongside her husband Noel when he was successfully elected to Laois County Council in 2014 and 2019 and in the 2020 General Election.
But she is a candidate in her own right on this occasion, having been co-opted to fill the seat left vacant following Noel’s retirement on health grounds. She chats about her background, what it was like coming into the Council mid-term and what she’d like to see achieved if she’s elected.
Barry Walsh (Fine Gael)
Barry Walsh is an outgoing councillor in the Portlaoise Municipal District having replaced Mary Sweeney when she stepped down – but fights this election in his own right.
The Ballyroan man talks about his involvement in various community groups, how he got into politics, coming into the council mid term and what he’d like to achieve over the next five years.
The following candidates opted not to take part or did not respond to the LaoisToday invitation to be featured: Noel Burke (Independent), Colette Byrne (Independent Ireland), John Joe Fennelly (Fianna Fáil), Catherine Fitzgerald (Fianna Fáil), Donal Kelly (Independent), Naeem Iqbal (Fianna Fail), Tommy Mulligan (Independent), Jason Phelan (Sinn Féin), Martha Ryan (Aontú).
John Cowhig (Independent) requested an interview after the deadline had passed. We are happy to oblige to this request and his episode will be added at a later date after it has been edited and published to our various podcast platforms.
SEE ALSO – Check out all our 2024 Local Election coverage here
SEE ALSO – Local Election Podcasts: 10 minutes with the candidates in the Borris-in-Ossory/Municipal District
