Tag Archives: seanad

ENNISTYMON’S Martin Conway has retained his Seanad seat making him the only successful Clare candidate in the race. The Fine Gael member secured 90 first preference votes and was elected to the Administrative Panel on the sixteenth count, on a total of 149,765 ballots. Senator Conway has been a high-profile member of the Upper House since 2011. Earlier today, Clare candidate Ann Marie Flanaghan, a social inclusion campaigner, bowed out on the sixth count for the Administrative Panel. Ms Flanagan, a Corofin native, polled 22 first preference votes and was on 25, 306 by count six. The Ennistymon resident had been nominated by the Living Movement Ireland In a Tweet following her elimination, Ms Flanagan said: “Very proud of the 1st preference, given I am an un-elected rural independent and female.” Yesterday (Thursday), both Timmy Dooley, former Fianna Fáil TD and Michael Vaughan, prominent Lahinch hotelier, were eliminated from the race for seats on the Industrial and Commercial Panel.   …

Retail Excellence, Ireland’s largest retail representative body, has been admitted to the register of nominating bodies for Seanad Éireann elections. Retail Excellence, which operates from Ennis, can now select a candidate to contest the Seanad elections on the outside panel of the Industrial and Commercial Panel. Deputy CEO of Retail Excellence and former Senator Lorraine Higgins, said, “I am delighted to learn that Retail Excellence has been admitted to the register of nominating bodies to Seanad Éireann. As the largest retail representative body in Ireland with almost 2,000 members who operate in excess of 13,000 stores and employ over 130,000 staff we are honoured and delighted with this news. “This is a huge opportunity for our membership and retail in general and will help put the industry and it’s challenges on the national political agenda should our candidate be elected. “We now intend to invite political parties to put forward suitably qualified candidates which our board will vote on. The …

SENATOR Alice-Mary Higgins encourages all NUI graduates, including Shannon College of Hotel Management and Burren College of Art, to claim their vote in Seanad Éireann elections, before the registration deadline. All NUI graduates who are Irish citizens are entitled to vote in Seanad Éireann elections. However, they must first claim their vote by downloading the voter registration form from NUI or phoning to request a form. Completed forms must be scanned and returned by next Monday, February 26. NUI graduates who are living overseas are entitled to claim their vote and can vote in future Seanad elections from abroad through a postal vote. Independent Senator Alice-Mary Higgins, who was elected to the NUI panel in Seanad Éireann in 2016, said, “On the centenary of Irish women winning the right to vote, I will continue to work for equality and democracy. I am committed to pressing for Seanad reform so that all Irish citizens will be entitled to vote in future …

ENNIS artist Mick O’Dea has been given unprecedented access to the State’s art collection housed in Leinster House for a landmark one-hour documentary, which will debut on Monday. For the first time in broadcasting history, the collection will be showcased in House of Art. Having been given unprecedented access, Royal Hibernian Academy president, Mick O’Dea, discovers the stories, the artists and the people behind this unique collection, revealing a rich tapestry of our socio-political history. The documentary, produced by Red Shoe Productions, will be launched with a premiere screening in The Little Museum of Dublin, where Mick and director Maggie Breathnach will do a question and answer session.The documentary will then debut on Oireachtas TV on Monday at 8pm. There are over 300 pieces of priceless art housed in Leinster House. With the foundation of the State in 1922, successive governments were keen to create a pantheon of heroes aimed at affirming national self-image. With over 18,000 pieces in the …

The Green Party has published legislation, which will be debated and voted on in the Seanad on Wednesday, aimed at tackling vacancy and dereliction in city and town centres. This is an issue that has been discussed on numeroous occasions in County Clare where such problesm exists in a number of towns, large and small. The Derelict and Vacant Sites Bill 2017 aims to increase the levies on vacant sites from 3% per annum to 5%, to bring forward the date from which they apply from 2019 to mid-2017, and to include all sites under the legislation, as currently sites under 500m2 are exempt. Speaking ahead of the debate in the Seanad, Green Party Senator Grace O’Sullivan said,“We are bringing this legislation to tackle what we see as fundamental flaws in the Government’s approach to vacancy and dereliction in our town and city centres. Throughout the country, in our villages, towns and cities, we are seeing countless examples of underutilisation …

ALTHOUGH the name of Pat Hayes will appear on the ballot papers that will issue on Monday for the forthcoming Seanad elections, the Clare county councillor will not be canvassing for election. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Councillor Hayes said that at this point in time and for personal reasons, it does not suit him to go forward. “I was honoured to get the nomination but circumstances this time didn’t allow me to canvass. I am very interested in being a candidate in the future,” he added. Last month, the East Clare councillor sought the nomination to the Seanad’s Agricultural Rural Development panel from the Irish Grain and Feed Association but then had a rethink and decided not to contest the seat. However, as the papers had been lodged, he could not formally withdraw. “I did seek the nomination and I did get a nomination and then I did seek to withdraw it. The system doesn’t allow you to withdraw …

WHILE Michael McNamara claimed last week that the Labour Party leadership went out of its way to stop him running for election to the Seanad, the party has denied anything underhand has happened. Also, Seamus Ryan, who served as director of elections for Labour in Clare, has defended the party, saying it is no longer in a strong enough position to be putting forward multiple candidates. In a post on social media last week, Mr McNamara wrote, “If there was a democratic contest for the party nomination on the Agricultural Panel, I think I’d have won. So did the party leadership, so there was no contest.” Also, in an interview last week, Mr McNamara, referring to senior figures in the party, said, “It’s quite clear that not alone did I not have their backing but they went out of their way to prevent me from running”. He also claimed that he was being paid back for not being what he …

The political career of Michael McNamara may be over, as the Labour Party has opted not to nominate the East Clare man for the Seanad. Over the course of five years in the Dáil, Mr McNamara was an outspoken critic of his own party on several occasions. Memorably, he said it had an “ancient front bench” after the 2014 Local Elections and, in 2015, he was not part of the parliamentary party for a number of months, as he refused to support the Government’s disposal of the State’s share in Aer Lingus. On Wednesday afternoon, Mr McNamara, who lost his seat in the General Election, said it is now “almost certain” that he won’t get a nomination for the Agricultural Panel of the Seanad. Labour Senator Denis Landy is being nominated by the Greyhound Breeders’ Association of Ireland and Mr McNamara said the general secretary of the party has decided that Labour would not make any nomination itself. “I had …