*Photograph: John Mangan
59 CANDIDATES have registered on time to contest the 2024 local elections in Co Clare which take place on June 7th.
There are 28 seats within Clare County Council to be elected and by the close of nominations at 12pm on Saturday, a total of 59 persons had entered the race.
Of these 59, there are 16 female candidates, this is the highest amount of women to contest the one election in Clare but is still less than a third of those in the field. In 2019 and 2014, there had been eleven women to put themselves forward for election, the highest prior to this was seven in 1991 while the figure remained at six in 2009, 2004 and 1985.
Five outgoing county councillors are not seeking re-election, Cllr Pat McMahon (FF), Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG), Cllr Ann Norton (IND) and Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND).
In Clare, the longest ballot paper for this election is in the Shannon Municipal District where a total of fifteen candidates have declared. There are seven seats in the Shannon MD.
Sizeable interest has also resulted in thirteen candidates stepping forward in the Kilrush local electoral area and five county councillors will be elected here.
Within the Ennis Municipal District, there are thirteen candidates battling for seven seats. The absence of a well-known Independent candidate in the area on the ticket has caused a surprise.
Across East Clare, the Killaloe Municipal District has a nine persons running where they will battle to win the five seats on offer.
Four seats are to be filled in the Ennistymon electoral area, the smallest amount across the county and there are nine candidates in the mix.
Ennis Municipal District candidates:
Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF)
Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF)
Cllr Pat Daly (FF)
Bridget Ginnity (GP)
Cllr Mary Howard (FG)
Tommy Guilfoyle (SF)
Jacek Kazimierz (IND)
Ruairí Keenan (IND)
Amanda Major (IND)
Cllr Paul Murphy (FG)
Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF)
Seamus Ryan (LAB)
Hilary Tonge (SD)
Ennistymon local electoral area candidates:
Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG)
Cllr Liam Grant (GP)
Cllr Joe Killeen (FF)
Michael Loughrey (IP)
Pam O’Loughlin (IND)
Conor O’Sullivan (SF)
Bill Slattery (FG)
Cllr Shane Talty (FF)
Denis Vaughan (LAB)
Killaloe Municipal District candidates:
Cllr Pat Burke (FG)
Martina Cleary (SF)
Cllr Joe Cooney (FG)
Audrey Flynn (GP)
Cllr Pat Hayes (FF)
Fiona Levie (SD)
Matt Moroney (II)
Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF)
Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF)
Kilrush local electoral area:
Dawn Bennett (SF)
Theresa Doohan (FG)
Dinny Gould (IND)
Susan Griffin (GP)
Kevin Hassett (II)
John Hill (IFP)
Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG)
Cllr Ian Lynch (IND)
Cllr Rita McInerney (FF)
Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF)
Michael Shannon (FF)
Alan Troy (FF)
Joseph Woulfe (II)
Shannnon Municipal District candidates:
Pat Barry (IND)
Cllr Michael Begley (IND)
Fursa Cavanagh (GP)
Cllr John Crowe (FG)
Val Gillane (FG)
David Griffin (FF)
Rachel Hartigan (FF)
John Haugh (AON)
Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF)
Keith McNamara (IND)
Tony Mulcahy (FG)
Conor O’Brien (IND)
Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF)
James Ryan (SF)
Cllr PJ Ryan (IND)
