Moran on election trail for Sinn Féin

NOELEEN Moran, who polled more than 4,000 first preference votes as a Sinn Féin candidate in the last general election, will be aiming to win a seat on Clare County Council in next year’s local elections.

At a recent election convention in Lisdoonvarna, Ms Moran was selected to run in the new North Clare Constituency. Noeleen, from Ballyvaughan, narrowly missed out on a seat in the West Clare area in the 2014 local elections. She also ran for Sinn Féin in the 2016 general election and the strong showing copper-fastened her position as one of the party’s key figures in the county.

“There are a number of important issues that need to be addressed for the people in North Clare, among them housing, health, decline of rural services; we face big challenges in terms of investing in upgrading our public infrastructure, as well as addressing environmental and traffic management issues,” she said

Ms Moran said it is important to address the gender inequality in representation at local level. “It is high time the women in North Clare had a voice to represent their interests too,” she said.

On health, she said, “The only way we can tackle the erosion of our public health services here, is to invest in it here. This is the only way to begin to address the extent of this crisis and bring some relief to the overcrowding in Limerick and Galway Emergency Departments too.

“Aside from health there is an urgent need for action to be taken in relation to the homeless and housing crisis. We have high rate of vacant properties while we have growing numbers of homeless people. We have people in mortgage distress and many locked into the rental market, unable to get a mortgage as house prices soar.

“There is much work to be done. I am looking forward to the challenge and getting out on the doors meeting people again in the new year.”