Independent Aisling Moran was comfortably re-elected in the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District in the Local Elections.
This was Moran’s second election to contest but her first to do so as an independent candidate following her decision to leave Fine Gael during the last term.
Cllr Moran spoke with LaoisToday at our base in the Count Centre, saying it felt “absolutely fantastic” to get over the line.
“I was very nervous before I came over (to the Count Centre),” she said on the LaoisToday Local Election Podcast.
“But once I’d seen the tallies, I kind of knew I was OK – but you don’t want to be too sure of yourself either. You can see what’s going on here at the moment – things can happen too easily at these yokes.
“I was delighted, thrilled, blown away by the support I got – I couldn’t believe it. Thank you to everybody who supported me.
“Ballylinan, Barrowhouse, Arles-Killeen; they got me in to be honest.”
Cllr Moran was elected in 2019 as a Fine Gael candidate, but left the party due to a series of internal issues to become an Independent councillor.
She got 895 votes on that occasion – but increased by almost 250 first preferences on this occasion.
Addressing the rift, Cllr Moran said: “I’ve loads of friends in Fine Gael, the issue is in Laois. When I went to headquarters about it, the support wasn’t there.”
Asked if she would ever go back, Moran said: “No, you never go backwards, that’s why the rear-view mirror is smaller than the windscreen.”
Following the election campaign, Moran says she will return to the Council with a renewed vigour to try and enact the changes she sought in the previous term.
She said: “Everybody thinks I’m on the right track. There should be more transparency in the Council; local Government should be live streamed – which I’ll be going straight into.
“And the prayer – I’ll be tackling that one as well. It’s something that shouldn’t be done; Church and State need to be very much divided.
“Coming into a Council meeting, at local level, and having to stand up and say a Catholic prayer – regardless of what religion you are – it’s not right.
“We should have a moment of reflection for everybody. And they’re the first two things I want to tackle.”
Over the term of the last council, Aisling lost both of her parents – Loretta and John. John was councillor for 28 years and passed away in July of last year.
Aisling succeeded John in the Council in 2019 and she says that the campaign without him was emotional.
She said: “It’s the very first election that I didn’t canvass with my Dad.
“And I suppose in the very beginning it was hard; starting off, I’d have to stop, I’d have a chat with somebody and I’d kind of feel a bit emotional after it.
“Then I just kind of pulled myself together and got on with it.
“And then my mum dies, and later my father died; and between them, I ended up in hospital – I’d a serious operation, so I nearly died.
“But I was grand; I got back; so, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Would she consider a General Election bid?
Aisling said: “Ah sure you never know what’d happen. It’s a big thing to do, and is there a place for and Independent here?
“From canvassing on the doorsteps: people want change – and they do.
“I’ve a lot of ideas, I’m very open-minded; I’m well able to speak up, and I’m not afraid to say what needs to be said. And I think that’s what people want as well now.”
You can listen to the episode in full below:
