From Killeen to Dáil Éireann is a road less travelled.
There has never been a Laois woman elected as a TD. The county hasn’t sent an Independent candidate to Leinster House since 1948. And it’s those barriers that Aisling Moran is hoping to break down.
On Saturday night, she launched her General Election campaign in Christy Farrell’s picture postcard pub in the heart of Killeen village. Across the road from the church, school and community centre and up the road from the football pitch. Up the road too from her home. This was a General Election campaign very much in the heart of a local community.
“I’m delighted to be here for the launch of Aisling’s campaign,” said James Kelly, one of three Laois Independent County Councillors who has thrown his weight behind her bid. “Delighted to be here with people in a local pub and not in a big conference room in a hotel.”
The place was packed. Pints, minerals, banter, sausage rolls, chicken goujons and a certain amount of intrigue: is there an opening for a new candidate to break through in Laois? If there is, can that person be Aisling Moran?
A Laois County Councillor since 2019, she is of the Fine Gael gene pool. She was first elected for the party, winning the seat that her late father John had held for the previous 28 years. John was a General Election candidate as recently as 2011 for Fine Gael. But Aisling left Fine Gael more than a year ago and has been an Independent since, growing her vote by 20% in the recent Local Elections.
Now she’s aiming to crack the big one, putting her name forward as a General Election candidate. As well as Cllr James Kelly from Mountrath, she also has the support of Cllr Tommy Mulligan from Portlaoise and Cllr Ben Brennan from Crettyard.
Between the four of them they got over 6,000 first preferences in the Locals in June. Kelly, Mulligan and Brennan were all in Christy Farrell’s and addressed the crowd. All three are getting stuck in – knocking doors and putting up posters.
Part of the Technical Group in the council, they are an Independent Alliance of sorts.
“I am with three of the best men in Laois County Council: Ben Brennan, James Kelly and Tommy Mulligan, now formally known as the A-Team!” said Moran in her wide-ranging speech.
“I am grateful for their endorsement and their support. The trust and confidence they have placed in me is something that I do not take lightly or for granted.”
Referencing those 6,000+ votes, she said “that is the makings of a Dáil seat”. “The makings of an Independent Dáil seat for Laois. That is why we are here tonight. That is why we are in this election campaign – to deliver an Independent voice in Dáil Éireann. An Independent voice for Laois.
“This is not a solo run or a flight of fancy or a protest. This is serious. We are on the cusp of making history – electing the first Independent woman to the Dáil for Laois. With your help, the help of your families, friends and work colleagues, we can do it!”
Health, housing, the cost of living and value for taxpayers’ money were among the issues she addressed.
“There is a disgraceful waste of taxpayers’ money … and nobody is ever held to account.
“It didn’t take as long to build the Great Wall of China – or cost as much – as the new Children’s Hospital. And the Government still cannot tell us when it will be finished.
“This Government has so much money they do not even know what to do with it. They did not want the €14 billion Corporation Tax from Apple – but were glad to take your hard-earned money in taxes and squander it. I can think of many things that could be done with the Apple tax – build houses, better pay and conditions for nurses, recruitment of more guards.”
Kicking off proceedings was her son Charlie, her Director of Elections, who joked “obviously I know how great she is” while campaign manager Gavin Deering, also a former Fine Gael member, who said “the support we have this evening shows the serious chance we have of a Dáil seat”.
Recalling a political meeting he attended when he “was a young fella looking to get involved in politics … Aisling was the only person who walked across the room and shook hands with me”.
“To say I am excited she’s running in the General Election is an understatement. There is no other candidate I’d consider. Her honesty and integrity make her a perfect person to send to the Dáil. She got into politics for the right reasons.
“The system is broken. There is a housing crisis, a health crisis and the Governement will insult you and say everything is going well.”
Cllr James Kelly told the gathering that his family connections with the Morans go way back – his uncle Jimmy from Borris-in-Ossory served in the council with Aisling’s father John. “They would have travelled the roads together for years going to a lot of meetings together.
“Of the 19 councillors and three TDs in Laois, you won’t find a stronger, more passionate person … I am supporting Aisling Moran full tilt.”
Cllr Tommy Mulligan said in his speech he was an admirer of Aisling’s style before he became her council colleague.
“Aisling does her research and knows her facts. And she always gives an alternative option. She’s not asking hard questions for the sake of it. She’s doing it because she wants to bring about an improvement.
“She’s not asking out of her own self interest; she’s asking for the people she represents, the people of Laois.
“If I wasn’t happy supporting Aisling, I wouldn’t be. But she has all the qualities of a top politician: resilience, integrity, a hard worker, a connection with people – and she has a really good moral compass.”
“Brains, positivity, energy,” were the first three words that Ben Brennan used to describe her in his speech.
“If we want to deliver a Dáil seat to this part of Laois, that person is Aisling Moran. We have three weeks of a window. It won’t happen without a huge effort but I know we have a great group of people behind us.
“What we need now is numbers. We need the same numbers going into housing estates that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Sinn Féin will have.
“Aisling Moran will torment them in the Dáil. There will be no millions and billions of overspending if Aisling is there. There will be no bike sheds or huts being built then.
“She is honest, genuine and hard-working. This is the chance of a lifetime. Now is the time to do it.”
“The posters are up,” said James Kelly. “We put up a number of big 8ft by 4ft signs around the county in the last couple of days.
“They are attached to three poles and there’s 12 screws in them,” he added to great laughter. “The posters are staying up and Aisling is going to the Dáil.” Cue great guttural cheers of approval.
“I am offering a different approach, a real alternative,” said Aisling in her closing remarks.
“There has to be a better way. That is what we are offering. A different and better way of doing things. Better value for your hard-earned money. You deserve better for you and your families, instead of the same old parties and politicians with the same old slogans and policies that are simply not working.
“With your support and the backing of the A Team, I really believe that change is coming, real change is coming. And it starts here tonight in Laois – in Christy Farrells in Killeen.”
