Sinn Féin have announced they are fielding a West Clare candidate to contest the local election for the Kilrush local electoral area with the party revealing Dawn Bennett from Kilkee as their chosen candidate.
Ms Bennett, who owns CocoLemon hairdressers in Kilrush, becomes the fifth Sinn Féin candidate in the county for the upcoming June elections.
She said she first became interested in politics from listening to what party leader, Mary Lou McDonald had to say.
“She was offering common sense solutions and was so down to earth. Mary Lou and Sinn Féin are for the people and I love to help people whenever I can, so it was the right
party for me. I’m a carer myself so I know how difficult it is to get access to the services people need,” she explained.
Originally from Limerick, Ms Bennett moved to West Clare five years ago where she has made home.
“It’s a beautiful place to raise a family, and the surroundings are absolutely magical. I really feel that this is my community and I want to help my community. I want to help increase footfall for Kilrush as an economic driver for the whole area. There is some deprivation and some social problems in the area and I want to help to improve things to the best of my ability, she said.
“We need change, we’re listening to the same jargon for years, it’s just empty promise after empty promise. My son is on the autism spectrum and there are little to no services for him. Like many other parents, I’ve had to be his advocate and voice, I’ve had to do his speech therapy for him because he doesn’t get that as a consistent service. So, I’ve experienced first-hand the lack of
services and I know families struggling with all kinds of challenges on their own and it’s not good enough. I want to help families in West Clare to get services.”
“I also want to help small businesses to cope with business costs.
“This effects tourism and hospitality, the services sector and has a knock-on effect. We can stimulate employment and the local economy if we tackle the obstacles faced by small businesses.”
“There are very few entertainment and diversion facilities for kids, so that needs to be tackled. And of course, the farming community are the backbone of rural Ireland and they are under immense
pressure at the moment. I hope the people of West Clare will place their trust in me and give me the opportunity to serve them and deliver for them.”
Ms Bennett joins fellow candidates Dr Martina Cleary in the Killaloe electoral area, Tommy Guilfoyle in Ennis, James Ryan in Shannonbanks and Councillor Donna McGettigan.
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.