Tag Archives: Senator Martin Conway

CLARE’s five Oireachtas members are now using new methods of communication such as the Zoom application during the national lockdown as a result of Covid-19 regulations Traditional tried and trusted methods such as meetings constituents in a bar or community centre in towns and villages throughout Clare are a non-runner due to new social distancing requirements. However, Clare deputies and Senator Martin Conway insist they are still busy dealing with constituents queries and concerns, Deputy Joe Carey told the Clare Champion he is very busy as he is now the only government deputy after Minister of State, Pat Breen failed to get re-elected after the recent General Election. The Clarecastle Deputy said he is receiving a lot of communication from employers, business groups and individuals concerning the impact of Covid-19 via the phone, email and social media platforms like Facebook. If people want to contact him through applications such as Zoom, he is available to use this form of communication, …

  There were no surprises at the Clare Fine Gael Dáil Selection Convention as the party’s two outgoing deputies – Minister of State, Deputy Pat Breen and Deputy Joe Carey were returned unopposed. There was standing room only as delegates packed the Auburn Lodge Hotel on Monday night to select their General Election team. Three candidates were nominated Deputy Pat Breen, Deputy Joe Carey and Senator Martin Conway. Delegates were told that the national directive was to select just two candidates at the convention with the option that another candidate may be added, if necessary at a later stage. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin were criticised for causing the latest political crisis, which has seen the country on the brink of a General Election. Senator Conway seemed to be unaware of the latest revelations concerning beleaguered Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald when he stated that he was proud in what she has achieved in her department. The need for a contest …

Better ATM facilities are needed in the popular tourist areas in the county, Fine Gael senator Martin Conway has said. The Ennistymon senator has also sharply criticised the banks’ management of ATM facilities in North and West Clare over the busy summer period. Senator Conway said: “Last weekend was one of the busiest weekends of the year for many tourism areas particularly County Clare as visitor numbers flocked to our tourist attractions at the Cliffs of Moher and along the Wild Atlantic Way. “Numbers continue to grow this week with the ever popular Fleadh Cheoil taking place in Ennis. “When people visit our area they like to spend money and we encourage them to do so, but unfortunately they were unable to access cash facilities as all ATMs were out of service in North and West Clare for most of the weekend. “This happens on a regular basis and is unacceptable for local people, but it also severely impacts the …

  Clare County Councillor, Mary Howard has been officially declared as the third Fine Gael (FG) candidate to contest the forthcoming General Election in the county. Last week, speculation was rife that Councillor Howard would be added by the Fine Gael National Executive Council to the party ticket in Clare at the weekend and has proved to be correct. The former Ennis Town Councillor stated it is a “huge honour” to be asked and also to be considered capable of being part of the local FG team. Despite her late entry into the race, she is looking forward to working with her running mates outgoing FG deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey to maximise the party’s vote in Clare. “I love my job and my county and I would really love to take it to the next level. I have a proven track record of a strong work ethic and I am a team player thus I would love for …

Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Disability, Martin Conway, has officially launched the new Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Quality in the Community and Voluntary sector (SOLA) in the University of Limerick. SOLA will offer new equality programmes for those working in the voluntary, community and disability sectors. “I was delighted to be asked by UL to participate in the launch of this new centre, which will significantly boost the number of equality programmes offered by the university,” he said. Senator Conway continued, “The Disability Federation of Ireland was instrumental in the development of this centre, which will ensure that people working in the sector will be able to obtain continuous professional development and meet the needs of an increasingly regulated sector. “I believe the work being undertaken by SOLA will be of great assistance to people with disabilities in eliminating barriers to continuous professional development.  As a person with a disability, I understand how daunting and difficult it can be to …

CLARE Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway said he has no immediate plans to run as an independent candidate if he is not selected as one of the party’s candidates at their Dáil selection convention this Friday night. Speculation has been rife that the Ennistymon-based Senator might run as an independent if he is not chosen on the ticket. However, Senator Conway is confident that he will get a chance to run for Fine Gael at the next election and feels he should be added as a third candidate, if he is unsuccessful at convention. Asked if he would run as an independent candidate, he said, “No one can predict the future. Running as an independent is a situation I wouldn’t countenance. I have no immediate plans to run as an independent. “I believe my performance over the last few years, my proven vote-getting record and my geographical position makes a strong case for why I should be part of the …

THE steps at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon will not be back-filled, it emerged this week, after Clare County Council withdrew its Part 8 application to carry out the works at the contentious junction. The reason for the withdrawal, according to the county’s senior engineer, is that it would probably have been refused “as such a development would contravene the council’s own Development Plan”. Local Councillor Bill Slattery is livid at what he sees as a council u-turn on the issue. “After getting confirmation from Clare County Council that the Part 8 planning application would not proceed because it would contravene the County Development Plan, I was very annoyed and disappointed,” he said. “I am in the council four and a half years and after being selected to replace Senator Martin Conway, I immediately asked for the steps to be back-filled for the safety of pedestrians and motorists. I felt this request would have been adhered to due to the severe …

IF Fine Gael were to re-run its 2011 three-candidate electoral strategy in Clare with the same candidates, it would equate to “political stupidity”, according to Senator Martin Conway. That time the party held its two seats, which will surely be the limit of its ambitions for the next election, which is due within nine months, but the North Clare man said he must be included on the next ticket. Senator Conway said, “I don’t anticipate at this stage that I won’t be a Fine Gael candidate. If I wasn’t going to be a Fine Gael candidate, I’d expect to have been told at this stage, as a sitting member of the Oireachtas. I’m working on the basis that I’m going to be a candidate. North and West Clare always had a TD over the years and now that there’s a Sinn Féin candidate [Noeleen Moran] in Ballyvaughan and most likely a Fianna Fáil candidate in Miltown [Michael McDonagh], it would …