First time Laois Fianna Fáil candidate ready to try again in 2029

Fiannna Fáil candidate Fintan Cuddy with his daughters and granddaughters at the Laois count centre.

placeholder image — Fiannna Fáil candidate Fintan Cuddy with his daughters and granddaughters at the Laois count centre.

'You don't lose your first election' Fintan Cuddy from Castletown

A determined Fianna Fáil candidate in the Laois Local Elections did not get enough votes to win a seat, but is already looking ahead to 2029.

Fintan Cuddy from Castletown ran for his first time, in the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District and received 566 first preferences, well below the quota of 1,712.

The chairman of Fianna Fáil in Castletown, he spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live at the count centre, explaining his motivation.

"At seven we were practically homeless, by the time I was 15 both my parents had died. I lost my brother in 2001. It's my own experiences that help you see that families struggle, and you hope to be in a position to help them," he said.

"You don't lose your first election, I intend to build a platform. As of tomorrow I'll start out again for the next election in five years time. I canvassed for access for people with disabilities, to broaden adaptation grants so homes for children with Autism can install sensory rooms and bathrooms. I'll be asking my own party to consider it," he said.