It's going to be a tough Local Election race in Thurles as six candidates fight for five seats

There will be stiff competition in Thurles as six candidates fight for five seats. 

Councillor Seamus Hanafin announced last year, he would not contest this year’s Local Elections after 20 years in the council.

 But all of the other sitting councillors for the Thurles LEA are in the running. 

Cllr Sean Ryan (Fianna Fáil) is a teacher at Rockwell College, and a resident of Littleton.

He has been a sitting councillor since 2016 and this year, held the Cathaoirleach position in the Thurles-Templemore Municipal District. His campaign priorities are jobs, housing, education, roads and community groups. 

Fine Gael’s Peggy Ryan is an interesting one. Though a sitting councillor, this is her first election having taken over from her brother Peter in December 2021. Six months later, she was elected as the district Cathaoirleach and the first woman to hold the position. 

Cllr Ryan is the Chairperson of the Tipperary Women’s Caucus, the only female councillor in the LEA and only one of two female candidates. 

Her hit-the-ground-running style impressed her colleagues, and she has been a consistent voice for families and green issues. Peter Ryan was re-elected on the fifth count with 1,920 votes after transfers in 2019. 

 Independent councillor Jim Ryan has been sitting for 25 years. 

In that time, he has worked on the improvement of Thurles roads, including the progression of the Thurles bypass, flooding measures and water services. 

Cllr Ryan founded the hugely successful Liberty Music Festival, which has drawn thousands of visitors to the town in the two years it has been held. 

He was re-elected in 2019 on the seventh count with 1,683 votes after transfers.

 Independent Cllr Micheál Lowry is a native of Holycross, and part of the “Lowry Team” led by his father. He has been a councillor since 2004 and lobbies for improvements to roads, most recently in Ballycahill and the inner-relief road project. Cllr Lowry was re-elected in 2019 on the first count with 1,710 votes.

Newcomers

This year’s race sees two newcomers in  Sinn Féin’s Dan Harty and Fianna Fáil’s Kay Cahill Skehan. 

Mr Harty is a community activist, who is campaigning on the platform of housing. 

He has been a consistent voice for measures to ensure young people can stay in Ireland and is involved in the north Tipperary branch of the Irish Palestinian Solidarity campaign.

 Kay Cahill Skehan is a first-time candidate and sister of Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill. 

Her election priorities are housing, education, issues affecting older people and the progression of the Littleton Labyrinth.