*Liam Grant. Photograph: Myriam Riand
Earth and ocean science graduate, Liam Grant is to be co-opted to Clare County Council as the Green Party’s sole representative on the local authority.
Lahinch’s Liam will replace Susan Crawford who resigned from her role suddenly at the end of June. The Miltown Malbay woman was co-opted to the Council in September of last year following Roisin Garvey’s nomination to Seanad Éireann.
An online selection convention was held by Green Party members with voting taking place via postal vote with Liam announced as the successful candidate on Tuesday. Ennistymon’s Cooper Piggot also contested for the seat.
Since May, Liam has been a retained firefighter in Ennistymon, he has combined this with working as a vaccinator at the COVID-19 vaccination centre in Ennis and at Murphy’s Pharmacy. He also lines out with Ennistymon’s Junior B football side.
Grant was one of the founders of Luvguru, an app which allows friends of a single person to match them up with others using Facebook. The start-up company ceased operations in 2018.
Fergal Smith’s General Election bid of 2016 was Liam’s first foray into politics as he assisted the professional surfer with his campaign.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Liam referenced his passion for the environment, particularly when it comes to water. “I want to put an end to beaches being closed in the county due to high levels of bacteria in the sea. That we aren’t dumping raw sewage into our oceans or leaving people with contaminated drinking water. We need to bring our water and wastewater infrastructure into the 21st century”. Last year, he worked as a lifeguard in Fanore which heightened his passion for water quality.
“More of my friends have left the country than own a house. I feel like just as many of my school friends have taken their own lives than own their own home. This is something that upsets me deeply. The housing crisis is stopping young people from progressing their lives and we need to offer them a future, starting with affordable housing”.
He commended the work of Senator Garvey and revealed his desire to see “tidal swimming pools, similar to that seen in Belmullet and Bundoran. Greenways have been incredibly successful in other parts of the country and Clare needs to catch up”. Liam is hopeful he will be formally co-opted to the local authority at its October sitting.
Senator Garvey believed that Liam was “an excellent fit” for the seat. “It is great to have a super community activist to take the Green Council seat. He is an intelligent, capable and dedicated community person and that’s a great basis to be a strong rep for North Clare”.
