CANDIDATES are upping the ante in the final push for votes in Clare as polling day nears.
Ballot Beats is The Clare Echo’s daily General Election (GE24) update. Support what we do by becoming a Clare Echo subscriber right away.
Day eighteen was the coldest day of the canvass and it also coincided with the release of The Electoral Chair’s preview podcast where Caimin Jones, Gerry Flynn and Eugene Drennan were crispy with their verdicts.
They have all predicted that Fianna Fáil would regain its seat lost in the county in 2020. The full episode is available to subscribers – here.
“You don’t have to vote green to be green,” was the message from Hilary Tonge (SD). “We have five years to stop this climate crisis, we can’t keep kicking the can down the road, the Social Democrats know the gravity of the situation unlike opposition parties,” she stated.
Inagh was the setting as the Green Party launched its rural manifesto on the Garvey’s family farm. Senator Roisin Garvey (GP) also visited Ennis, Shannon and Newmarket-on-Fergus while having a discussion on mental health with Davy Fitzgerald in The Bridge.
Eddie Punch has said that the Mercosur deal is the first big threat facing farmers after the general election and he has warned that the big parties cannot be trusted to back farmers. “The big parties don’t want to discuss the fact that Ursula von der Leyen, who comes from the same EU political grouping as Fine Gael, is working hard to deliver a work-around on the Mercosur deal which would by-pass the opportunity for parliaments or government to block the deal. Michael McNamara MEP has correctly warned of the threat and he has also suggested that the Irish government will need to take a legal case to the European Courts to stop this happening. None of the traditional parties want to discuss this because it is obvious they will let farmers down when it comes to the crunch. They let them down on Nature Restoration, and there is no evidence they will do any different on Mercosur. I remember being part of a protest against Mercosur outside the Dáil in 2016 and the number of TDs that came to support us was very few”.
Both Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) and Cathal Crowe TD (FF) held a meeting in Annie’s Café in Kildysart after McInerney canvassed Kildysart after meeting the Doonbeg Men’s Shed in the morning while Crowe was in Cranny, Coolmeen and Ballynacally, the duo issuing an appeal for united transfers. Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) was in Shannon and Mountshannon.
Newmarket-on-Fergus was visited by canvassers of Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF).
Describing herself as the “tried and trusted” Independent TD in Clare, Violet-Anne Wynne (IND) issued a renewed appeal for votes via social media. The outgoing TD has had a very limited canvass
Mental health and wellbeing for young people have been listed as key priorities of Amanda Major (IND). Michael Leahy (IFP) canvassed shoppers in the county town.
Electing “a local TD” in Ennis is the message from Clarecastle native Leonora Carey (FG). Fresh from returning from the team holiday with the Clare hurlers, young hurler of the year, Adam Hogan rowed in behind the campaign of Cllr Joe Cooney (FG) while praising his delivery in East Clare over the last two decades. Friends and family issued their support for Dr Tom Nolan (FG) in a video urging people to give him their number one vote.
Paddy Murphy (IND) was back at the Cliffs of Moher highlighting the amount of buses “breezing in and out of Clare” as he called on Clare County Council to “stop competing with the tourism businesses” in the county to let small businesses have a chance.
North Clare was the focus for Kevin Hassett (IND) who toured Doolin, Kilfenora, Ballyvaughan and Bellharbour.
Also appearing on the ballot paper in Clare are June Dillon (AON), Michael Loughrey (IP), Matthew Moroney (IND), Catriona Ni Chatháin (SOC) and Barry O’Donovan (RAB).
