The General Election is less than two weeks away, which means every housing estate and main street across the country are abuzz with promises, positions, persuasions and proposals.
Maria McCormack’s campaign only launched three weeks ago when Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald announced Maria as the party’s new candidate in Laois.
Maria and her team have been on the doorsteps ever since, and they were out and about again on Sunday afternoon in Portlaoise.
Joined by over a dozen supporters, the group met at the Leisure Centre at 12 noon and were still knocking on doors well after 5 o’clock.
They worked their way around that area all afternoon, meeting people in St Brigid’s Place, Dr Murphy Place, Millbrook, and the vast estate of Esker Hills.
Sunday afternoon is a brave time for a politician to hit the streets, with people at home spending time with their families and enjoying a relaxing day off.
But as Maria explains, with such a short turnaround between her announcement as Sinn Féin candidate and the November 29 election, she has to maximise every last minute.
“I actually love canvassing,” Maria beams. “I love talking to people, I love being out and about meeting everyone.
“I actually think it’s the most important part of a campaign; you can do a certain amount on social media and through the press, but you need to get out and meet the people that you’re going to be representing.
“You have to get a feel for the real queries on the ground, and I just love it.”
Health care, special needs schools and housing were the big talking points on the doorsteps.
One mother told Maria that her two adult children, both working full-time jobs, were “nowhere near being able to afford a house”.
The vast majority of people greeted Maria with a smile and a handshake with a huge amount of positivity clear to see.
“You don’t need to call here, Maria,” one man said. “You have my vote.”
No canvass would be complete without the odd frosty reception, and Maria’s was no different on Sunday.
For the most part, however, the new Sinn Féin candidate and her supporters were met with plenty of smiles on plenty of doorsteps.
Like a number of other candidates, Maria is seeking to become the first female TD from Laois. In the long history of General Elections, a Laois woman has never been elected to Dáil Éireann.
Political life for Maria began as an activist in her college years before being drawn to Sinn Féin, who’s policies she says “really resonated” with her.
Her connections to the party are strong as her great-grandfather Jim Lewis, was one of the first Sinn Féin Councillors elected in Laois.
She credits her mother Carmel with turning her on to politics at a young age. Carmel, granddaughter of the aforementioned Jim, joined Maria on the canvass – and clearly enjoyed the experience.
Maria, who works in the health care industry, was a candidate in the recent Local Elections in the Portlaoise area as Caroline Dwane-Stanley’s running mate.
“This is totally different from the Local Elections in that it’s the whole of Laois, so it’s great to have such a strong team around me,” she said.
“There’s Aaron (Kelly) in Graiguecullen, Helen (Campion) in Rathdowney, Lorna (Garry) in Mountmellick – so it’s a whole Laois Sinn Féin together, which is super.
“I’m coming to parts of the county and even parts of Portlaoise that I wouldn’t have canvassed in the Local Elections, so it’s great to be able to speak to some many more people.”
Maria has taken on a personal trainer as she looks to bolster her health for a physically taxing campaign.
And there was plenty of exercise on Sunday as the Sinn Féin candidate and her team covered a huge amount of ground throughout Portlaoise.
“So many people are telling us they want change,” Maria said. “Our message is that Sinn Féin are the only alternative party – we’re the only party there with 71 potential TDs.
“We have policies ready to go – Pearse Doherty has them priced down to the last cent – so we’re ready for action.
“We’re hearing a lot of complaints about health care here in Laois; I have a daughter with autism, so I know first hand there just aren’t enough services.
“That, along with housing and education have been brought up to us from a lot of people, not just today but since we started canvassing.
“We don’t have enough school places in Laois – we’re like the forgotten county.”
Aaron Kelly, who was a Local Election candidate for Sinn Féin in the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District, was coordinating the canvass.
“We’ve been out canvassing seven days a week since Maria was announced and there seems to be a real appetite for change,” he said.
“People are a lot more open about it than during the Local Elections. It’s not necessarily Sinn Féin at every door, but people want something different from Fine Gael Fianna Fáil.”
Lorna Holohan Garry, another Local Election candidate who ran in the Borris-in-Ossory-Mountmellick area, was also there to lend a helping hand and add another familiar face to the canvass.
There were many others handing out leaflets, knocking on doors, and helping bring huge energy to the day.
When asked why they had given up their Sunday to come out and help Maria, each had their own reasons.
Michael Dowling, a business owner from Mountmellick, was accompanied by his teenage son.
“I’ve always been Sinn Féin, ever since I first voted in the European Elections in the late 80s,” he said.
“Maria is a fresh, new face who needs help, and unless people know her name there isn’t a hope of getting votes, so it’s worth putting the effort in.”
Another man, Dan Connolly, tells us he has been an activist in Laois for a number of years and long-time supporter of Sinn Féin.
“I’ve been a Republican all my life, and I’ve been involved for the last 30/40 years,” he said.
“Sinn Féin took time to look for a candidate in Laois and Maria has turned out to be an excellent one.
“She had a tough enough experience in the Local Elections, but she’s building up her confidence now and I think the main thing for Sinn Féin now is to build things again from the ground up.
“You can see it even with our spokespeople, young, dynamic people like Eoin Ó Broin, Matt Carthy, Mairéad Farrell, Kathleen Funchion.”
Some supporters were there for the party, while other were there for the person.
Shauna Carroll, a mother of four, was leading the charge around the houses with three of her young boys following in toe.
“I like Maria,” Shauna said. “I like what she stands for. She’s real; she’s a normal person and I’d like to see more of that in the Dáil.
“I have two kids with autism. My oldest is highly functioning autistic and my other lad at home is severely autistic.
“The Government just want to put them into units. My lad is non-verbal, wild as they come. He’s a breath of fresh air – but there’s no facilities for him.
“He’s not disabled enough to go into the Kolbe School, there’s no places in St Francis, and so they’re going to put him into a unit where he’s high-risk.”
SEE ALSO – LoveLaois Podcast: General Election discussion as we introduce our panel
