*Joe Cooney TD (FG) is elected. Photograph: Joe Buckley
LEINSTER HOUSE awaits Joe Cooney TD (FG) who said he will grasp the opportunity to represent the people of Clare in the Dáil.
In 2007, the late Seamus Brennan (FF) a former Minister said while as negotiations on a coalition between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party progressed told Greens “you’re playing senior hurling now lads”.
On the same vein, Cooney who entered politics in 2004 with a successful election to Clare County Council and followed it up with poll topping performances in 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024.
Sunday saw him secure his election to the Dáil and so ‘senior hurling’ awaits. A former Chairman of Clare GAA for five years, Cooney remarked of the new challenge, “Like yourself Paudie I played senior hurling in the past as well and I never got wanting for playing the senior hurling, I’m well up for the ball to be thrown in”. Ironically, he played in the 1986 Clare SHC final held in Carron where Clarecastle overcame the Mills, this time round he had a Clarecastle running mate in Leonora Carey (FG) but was the only Fine Gael TD elected in Clare.
Adjusting from Cllr Joe Cooney to Joe Cooney TD “feels fantastic, a massive achievement but probably an achievement that I wouldn’t have achieved without the team I had working with me over the last three weeks. As you’re well aware for the short campaign and the team of canvassers and the people who supported me over the past three weeks have been something simply unbelievable and without their support, I wouldn’t have achieved this. As you said, I was a local councillor for twenty years, I enjoyed every day of it, there was always a challenge every day, which I dealt with and got on with it. Now it’s a different situation, it’s a challenge to try and achieve for the people of the Banner County, and that’ll be my aim for the next number of years to try make our county a better place to live, to work, and to enjoy and to do that, a lot has been achieved in the past, more needs to be achieved, but the most important thing is extra funding going into our county as regards to sort different issues and concerns that people have here in Clare”.
During his time on the Killaloe Municipal District, the O’Callaghans Mills man has criticised the absence of funds given to the local authority for improving infrastructure. He’s determined to lead the charge to bring improved funds to the county. “It’s about getting the funds for Clare. As we’re aware, the health service, housing are different issues but I’ll be working with the other three deputies to try and achieve as much as possible over the next number of years for our county, and that’s the aim and as far as I’m concerned that’s what we have been elected for”.
A u-turn from Cooney saw him rejoin the election race at the beginning of November, this followed enhanced appeals from outgoing Taoiseach, Simon Harris (FG). Political sources have told The Clare Echo that a potential Junior Ministry with the OPW is a possibility for Joe. “The most important thing is I go to the Dáil and represent the people of our county, if anything more is happening in the Dáil outside of it that’s okay and I’ll look at it but the important thing and where I’m focused on at the moment is the people of Co Clare”.
During his canvass, Joe, who stood down from his role with East Clare Construction Ltd in the past twelve months, flagged that housing emerged as the biggest issue in the constituency. “I was well aware of it but it was definitely brought to my attention during my canvass in different parts of the county that there is young people of maybe 30 to 40 still living at home and can’t put their own roof over their own head, which every young person wants to do. It’s also a burden in the family, the younger people are having their families and it’s a lot of inconvenience and that was an issue that was brought to my attention and it is something I’m going to try and deal with to try and see can be something done for the young people who unfortunately are caught between two stools because their income is too high to get on a local authority housing list, and their income is not high enough to get a mortgage to build or to buy their house, and that’s the serious issue”.
Fine Gael keep their seat in Clare thanks to the success of the outgoing Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District. “It’s very important to keep our seat in Clare naturally enough, we had a bit of hard luck not to win two seats but in fairness to Donna (McGettigan) she done brilliant and got a fantastic transfer which people thought she may not get, a fantastic transfer. Timmy (Dooley) and Cathal (Crowe) simply had a fantastic vote both of them, I think myself there’s four good Deputies elected to represent the county going forward”.
Following the conclusion of a hectic three week campaign, Joe said he was reinvigorated to receive a mandate to represent the people of Clare. “As I say, any time there is a challenge there, I’m up for the challenge. I’ll take on the challenge, I’ll do my best, and hopefully, I’ll achieve going forward”.
