*Candidates in the Shannon MD with The Clare Echo’s Páraic McMahon.
SHANNON MUNICIPAL DISTRICT will see new faces form part of its makeup following the local elections and the campaign to fill the seven seats in this part of the county has well and truly taken flight.
As part of the build-up to the local elections on June 7th, The Clare Echo’s political podcast The Electoral Chair has been hosting election debates for all five electoral areas in the county.
On the latest episode, we bring you the Shannon Municipal District election debate which was recorded at the Hillery Suite of Treacy’s West County Hotel.
Lying within the Shannon MD are the areas of Shannon, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Sixmilebridge, Bunratty, Cratloe, Meelick, Parteen, Clonlara, Westbury and Ardnacrusha.
There a total of seven seats to be won in the Shannon MD with fourteen candidates in the race. 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) and Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) are all on the ballot paper.
Eleven of the candidates were present for the debate, Cavanagh was unavailable as he was working, Gillane was attending a funeral, Hartigan was completing a college examination and O’Brien had not entered the race at the time of recording.
Two sitting elected representatives in the Shannon MD, Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) and Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) are not seeking re-election
Each candidate was afforded the opportunity to give a sixty second introduction and a final pitch to encourage people to vote for them on June 7th.
On the agenda:
- Independence despite former membership of political parties
- Frustration among Sinn Féin’s membership and box-ticking with selections
- Zero progress on projects within the Shannon MD
- Limerick Northern Distributor Road
- Missed opportunities within the Shannon MD
- Do people care about politics
- What can councillors do for Shannon Airport
- Stances on US military’s use of Shannon Airport
- Developing Newmarket-on-Fergus
- GP services in Newmarket-on-Fergus
- Housing options in Shannon
- Spending on Traveller accommodation
- Westbury’s neglect
- Getting more funding for maintenance in the Shannon MD
- Fianna Fáil’s treatment of Cllr Pat McMahon
- Sixmilebridge’s growing population
