*Members of Sinn Féin’s Ennis cumann. Photograph: John Mangan
SINN FÉIN are gearing up for next year’s local elections in Clare and hope to field a total of eight candidates across the county.
Currently, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) is the party’s only representative on Clare County Council. The Shannon woman was co-opted to the local authority in February 2020 following the death of Cllr Mike McKee (SF).
In 2014, McKee became the first member of Sinn Féin to win a seat on Clare County Council since 1974 and he retained that seat in 2019. Prior to retiring from politics for five years from 2004 to 2009, Mike was one of Sinn Féin’s longest serving councillors in Ireland, he had been sitting on Shannon Town Council and the Shannon Town Commissioners.
With the strong performance of former Sinn Féin TD, Violet-Anne Wynne (IND) in the 2020 General Election where she polled 8,987 first preference votes while flying the party flag, Sinn Féin is hopeful of increasing its representation on Clare County Council.
Five candidates contested the local elections for the party in the 2019 local elections, Cllr McKee in the Shannon MD with 1,042 first preferences, McGettigan in the Ennis MD with 277, Wynne in the Kilrush LEA with 385, Noeleen Moran in the Ennistymon LEA with 575 and Sean Naughton in the Killaloe MD with 189.
For 2014, Sinn Féin ran only three candidates across Clare, McKee, Moran and Cathal O’Reilly in the Ennis MD who withdrew in the days prior to polling.
Now Sinn Féin are preparing to run one of their biggest tickets in Co Clare. The party has contacted high-profile community activists in certain parts of the county asking them to consider letting their names go forward.
Although Sinn Féin representatives locally are remaining very tight-lipped on plans behind the scenes, The Clare Echo has managed to obtain correspondence from party headquarters on the process that will be followed for the 2024 local elections. A “gender application table” will be adhered to with candidates.
Within the Ennis MD, two candidates will be put forward and one of these will be a female. There will be one candidate each in the Ennistymon LEA, Kilrush LEA and the Killaloe MD, in each instance the person running for Sinn Féin will be either male or female.
As has been evident with the performance of Mike McKee down through the decades, Sinn Fein has a strong presence in Shannon Town and it is here that the party hope to make inroads next June.
They are aspiring to field a total of three candidates in the Shannon MD and this ticket will include at least one female.
Cllr McGettigan has confirmed her intention to be elected onto the Council for the first time while it is likely the party will run a number of first-time candidates. Clarecastle based Tommy Guilfoyle is strongly considered as a potential runner in the Ennis MD but he has remained tight-lipped on whether he will make a bid for office.
All prospective first-time Sinn Féin candidates have been informed they must complete the Candidate Assessment and Support Process (CASP) before being eligible to seek a nomination to go forward to convention.
An expression of interest is the first stage for anyone who has not stood for the party previously and is considering going forward as a Sinn Féin candidate. The Clare Echo understands that the closing date for receipt of expressions of interest was on Friday (July 14th) at 8pm.
Persons that submit an expression of interest will be invited to attend a meeting with two members of the Cúige C.
