Tag Archives: general election

CLARE doctors have not ruled out the possibility of fielding a candidate in the general election if Government does not approve a rescue package to save rural practices. Local GPs are prepared to consider entering the political arena if Health Minister Leo Varadkar doesn’t sign off on funding of an estimated €13.8 million nationally to safeguard the future viability of such practices. The possibility increases the pressure on Clare’s three Government TDs – Fine Gael deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey and Labour’s Michael McNamara to deliver on previous commitments before a public meeting in Corofin Community Hall on Thursday, January 7 next. Almost 300 people packed into Corofin hall last month to support a campaign to reverse cuts imposed on rural practice over the last four years. The organisers secured a commitment from Deputies Breen, Carey, McNamara and Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley that they would attend the January 7 meeting. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Dr Liam Glynn claimed the Government has …

Fianna Fáil’s National Constituencies Committee has confirmed the addition of Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy to the ticket for the General Election, now earmarked for next year. She will join Deputy Timmy Dooley and Michael McDonagh as part of the Fianna Fáil team in Clare. Chairman of the National Constituencies Committee, Deputy Michael Moynihan commented, “Fianna Fáil is confident we have an extremely strong ticket in Clare as part of our election preparations. Our candidates will be working together in the weeks and months ahead to maximise the party’s vote with a view to winning two seats in this important constituency.”

Clare TD Michael McNamara has been formally nominated to contest the next General Election for the Labour Party. At a convention meeting, Mr McNamara told delegates Labour must campaign to remain in Government now that it is in a position not just to mitigate the worst but achieve the best for the people of Ireland and Clare Mr McNamara, who was invited to rejoin the Parliamentary Party last month having lost the whip after voting against the sale of Aer Lingus, retained the support of the Clare Labour Party members and was selected uncontested at Treacy’s West County Hotel, Ennis on Sunday night. “It is important that Labour remains in Government now that we are in a position not just to mitigate the worst but to achieve the best, because a lot of what we had to do was to try to mitigate the worst and frankly there isn’t a lot of thanks for that,” he told the convention, chaired …

The Union of Students in Ireland will register an estimated 10,000 new third level students to vote across 24 Irish campuses tomorrow (Tuesday). USI’s campaign, Education Is aims to educate, empower and register students to vote in the upcoming General Election, focusing on which parties will increase student support such as grants, student assistance funds and accommodation. Education Is follows the success of the student voter registration campaign before the marriage equality referendum, which registered 27,633 new voters. The National Day of Voter Registration’s official hashtag is #RockTheRegister. “One sixth of people living below the poverty line are students,” USI president, Kevin Donoghue said. “The new students we are registering to vote will be voting for politicians who have their educational interests in mind. The cost of living for students is €11,000 per year, which means college courses can cost between €33,000 and €77,000. Government investment in third level education dropped from over €1.6bn in 2005 to €939m in 2014. …

ENNIS Councillor Mary Howard has joined the race to receive the Fine Gael nomination at the party’s convention to decide its general election candidates, saying, “I’ve proved myself”. The councillor joins sitting TDs Joe Carey and Pat Breen and Senators Tony Mulcahy and Martin Conway in seeking the party’s nomination on September 11. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Councillor Howard said the decision to seek nomination is something that she has been thinking over for some time. “I’ve been mulling it over in my mind, I love what I do and I see my future within Fine Gael. I absolutely love my job within Clare County Council but I thought now is the time to put my hat in the ring. “I believe that I’ve proved myself over the last six years. I’ve worked hard and I have been very involved in my community. A lot of people have asked me would I go forward and when you hear that …

A date has been set for the Fine Gael convention to select candidates to run for the General Election in Clare. The convention will take place on September 11 in Ennis, with the county’s two sitting TDs, Deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey, likely to receive the nod. Senators Tony Mulcahy and Martin Conway have both said they will seek the party’s nomination. Clare County Councillor Mary Howard may also seek to have her name put forward. Senator Mulcahy was on the ticket in the 2011 General Election but was not elected, while Senator Conway had expressed his desire to run for Fine Gael on that occasion but was not selected as a candidate. “In 2009, I topped polls in local elections with a significant surplus. I wasn’t running in the subsequent General Election, even though a senior cabinet minister living seven miles away from me had said he would not be running, so it left a vacuum. Fine Gael …

Inagh woman, Roisin Garvey has been selected by the Green Party in Clare to contest the upcoming General Election. She is a well known local activist and champion for community projects. Ms Garvey comes from a large and well regarded family of teachers and farmers. She is a single mother with one teenage son,Corrán, and works full time with schools throughout the county on An Taisce’s Green Schools Programme. She said, “It is a honour to have been selected by the Green Party for this election and I am extremely excited about the opportunity to put myself forward as a representative for the people of Clare. I plan to use my unique experience in the community and voluntary sector for the benefit of so many people in our county, and to bring a new vision for rural Ireland to our national parliament. “Clare has been at the sharp end of this Government’s cutbacks, and it is time for a new …

Former Ennis Chamber CEO, Rita McInerney has confirmed her intention to seek a place on the Clare Fianna Fáil ticket to contest the next general election. Ms McInerney, who took a one-year sabbatical from her Ennis Chamber post to complete a masters in politics at University of Limerick, is looking forward to seeking the support of cumman members ahead of the Fianna Fáil Dáil Convention in Clare. The Doonbeg shop owner is facing stiff opposition from a number of candidates, after a Clare Champion survey revealed eight out of the 12 local Fianna Fáil county councillors expressed a preference for running three candidates at the next election. It is expected that Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, and the party’s national constituency committee will select Clare as one of the battlegrounds for a female candidate, in an effort to meet the national 30% gender quota requirement. Fianna Fáil Deputy Timmy Dooley said he will be putting his name forward for re-election …