90 candidates set to seek election to Limerick City and County Council

15 entrants into inaugural race to become directly elected mayor

A TOTAL of 90 candidates are set be on the ballot paper in the local elections in Limerick on Friday.

There are 90 people chasing 40 seats on the next Limerick City and County Council.

As it stands, 27 of the candidates are women, representing just under a third of the candidates on the ballot paper.

Eight female candidates are set to contest City North, seven are expected to run in City East, with four in City West. Three females are on the ballot paper as it stands in Adare-Rathkeale, four contest Cappamore/Kilmallock, while there is just one in the Newcastle West electoral area.

The 2024 local election takes place in conjunction with the European Elections, and for the first time, a contest to become Limerick's first directly elected mayor.

Fifteen candidates have declared they will be seeking election to the new office.

Polling will take place for all elections between 7am and 10pm on Friday, June 7.

There are six electoral areas within Limerick City and County Council returning a total of 40 councillors. A number of candidates are running in both the mayoral election and the local election.

Should a candidate win the mayoral election, their council seat will become vacant, and their seat will be filled in the form of a co-option - which means it will be in the gift of the party or individual which won the seat in the first place to decide who fills the place.

Limerick is guaranteed to elect at least five new councillors due to the decisions of Mayor Gerald Mitchell, Cllr James Collins, Cllr Emmett O'Brien, Cllr Kevin Sheahan and Cllr John Egan to step down from front-line politics.

Last time Limerick people went to the polls to elect councillors, there were 92 candidates, which means this time around there is a marginal drop.

All confirmed candidates and their party affiliation are listed in the order they submitted their nomination papers to Limerick City and County Council. Prefix "Cllr" denotes outgoing council member looking to retain their seat.

Mayoral election (one seat)

Brian Leddin Green Party

Gerben Uunk Animal Welfare Party

Dee Ryan Fianna Fail

Colm O’Morain Independent

Helen O’Donnell Independent

Maurice Quinlivan Sinn Fein

Ruairi Fahy People before Profit

Cllr Elisa O’Donovan Social Democrats

Sarah Beasley Aontu

Cllr Frankie Daly Independent

Cllr Conor Sheehan Labour

Dr Laura Keyes Rabharta

Cllr Daniel Butler Fine Gael

Caitríona Ní Chatháin Socialist Party

John Moran Independent

Limerick City North (seven seats)

Cllr Sasa Novak Green Party

Cllr Tom Collopy Sinn Fein

Pat O’Neill Independent

Tanya Dunworth Sinn Fein

Cllr Sharon Benson Sinn Fein

Ruth Clarke Independent Ireland

Suzzie O’Deniyi Fianna Fail

Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon Fianna Fail

Ruairí Fahy Solidarity-People Before Profit

Adam Kearney Independent

Shane Hickey-O’Meara Social Democrats

Dean Quinn Independent

Dr Laura Keyes An Rabharta Glas – Green Left

Richard Delaney Fine Gael

Mark Spain Fine Gael

Cllr Olivia O’Sullivan Fine Gael

Limerick City East (seven seats)

Cllr Sean Hartigan Green Party

Dean Lillis Independent

Tally Slater Independent

Danielle O’Shea Sinn Fein

Ursula Gavan Sinn Fein

Mike Killeen Sinn Fein

Cllr Joe Pond Fianna Fail

Cllr Catherine Slattery Fianna Fail

Donnah Vuma Social Democrats

Eric Nelligan Aountu

Cllr Elena Secas Labour

Michael O’Brien Rabharta

Cllr Michael Murphy Fine Gael

Peter Doyle Fine Gael

Cllr Sarah Kiely Fine Gael

Patrick McCarthy Independent

Limerick City West (seven seats)

Peter Spencer Green Party

Shahin Reza Independent

Malachy McCreesh Sinn Fein

Frances Lonergan Sinn Fein

Esther Aherne Independent Ireland

Cllr Fergus Kilcoyne Fianna Fail

Cllr Abul Kalam Azad Talukder Fianna Fail

Maria Donoghue Independent

Khalid Mahmood Non-Party

Cllr Joe Leddin Labour

Michael Rafferty Independent

Sean Lynch Independent

Clllr Dan McSweeney Fine Gael

Michael MacCurtain Fine Gael

Cathal McCarthy Independent

Alec Morrissey Independent

Adare/Rathkeale (six seats)

Robert Daly Non-Party

Cllr John O’Donoghue Independent Ireland

Tommy Hartigan Independent Ireland

Cllr Bridie Collins Fianna Fail

Trina O’Dea Fianna Fail

Ger Ward Fianna Fail

Joanne Collins Sinn Fein

Cllr Adam Teskey Fine Gael

Cllr Stephen Keary Fine Gael

Cllr Michael Sheahan Fine Gael

Richard Crehan Independent

Newcastle West (six seats)

Gerben Uunk Party for Animal Welfare

James Barrett Independent Ireland

Pat King Independent Ireland

Kathleen Barrett Fianna Fail

Gerard Madigan Fianna Fail

Cllr Francis Foley Fianna Fail

Cllr Michael Collins Fianna Fail

Padraig Collins Sinn Fein

Cllr Jerome Scanlan Independent

Cllr Tom Ruddle Fine Gael

Cllr Liam Galvin Fine Gael

Cllr John Sheahan Fine Gael

Cappamore/Kilmallock (seven seats)

Rob O’Donnell Green Party

Cllr Eddie Ryan Independent

Michelle Hayes Independent

Grainne Hanley Independent Ireland

Denny Hourigan Fianna Fail

Cllr Mike Donegan Fianna Fail

Al Fitzgerald Fianna Fail

Cllr PJ Carey Sinn Fein

Cllr Brigid Teefy Independent

Cllr Martin Ryan Fianna Fail

Michael Ryan Aontu

Greg Conway Fine Gael

Noreen Stokes Fine Gael

Tommy O’Sullivan Fine Gael

Elsewhere, thousands of local voters will be electing candidates to Clare County Council, with the Banner's local authority administering areas like Westbury and Shannon Banks and their surrounds including places like Parteen, Clonlara, Meelick, Shannon Town and Bunratty.

They will vote in the Shannon electoral district of Clare County Council, with 15 declared candidates here chasing seven seats.

Clare County Council, Shannon Electoral district (seven seats)

James Ryan Sinn Fein

Cllr Donna McGettigan Sinn Fein

John Haugh Aontu

Cllr Michael Begley Independent

Keith McNamara Independent

Rachel Hartigan Fianna Fail

David Griffin Fianna Fail

Cllr Pat O'Gorman Fianna Fail

Fursa Cavanagh Green Party

Tony Mulcahy Fine Gael