‘Needs to be a concerted focus on Longford’ McDonald
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald visited Longford
With preparations for the local elections ramping up, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald visited Longford recently.
Sinn Féin have no sitting councillors on Longford County Council and the party aims to change that statistic on June 7.
Deputy McDonald visited a wide range of groups in the county on her whistle stop tour.
These included St Christopher’s Centre, Lus na Gréine in Granard and the co:worx hub in Edgeworthstown.
She also found time to visit the Longford Leader offices on Market Square, accompanied by Longford-Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke.
Affable in person, the Dublin woman is nonetheless fiercely ambitious and aims to become the first female Taoiseach in history.
However, before the next General Election, there is the small matter of the Local and European elections to overcome.
“Sinn Féin have selected strong and committed candidates to contest the local elections in Longford - John Rooney (Ballymahon MD), Barry Campion (Granard MD) and James Donnelly (Longford MD),” according to Deputy McDonald.
While the party has no representation on the council, she stated that there is “a strong crew of activists who will work hard” for the party in the forthcoming elections.
“We are looking to recruit as many people as possible who believe in change for both Longford and Ireland,” she added.
Ms McDonald pointed to neighbouring Cavan as an example of where Sinn Féin built a base.
“There is no sense of entitlement with our party. We all had to work hard for our seats,” she stated.
While she mentioned the housing crisis and its impact on Longford, she also referenced health care as a major issue for people in this county.
“Access to health care is a big issue in this area. Another is the cost of living, which has been worsened by the Government increasing the cost of petrol and diesel,” Ms McDonald remarked.
She added that, in her opinion, people are “living lives of quiet desperation.”
She believes that Longford and the wider Midlands area requires significant investment in infrastructure. “There needs to be an acceptable standard of roads and broadband.”
She believes that the resources are there to fund such large scale change in Longford.
“The state coffers are full. The state has repeated windfall tax from multinationals. What is required for Longford is a step change from state agencies. There needs to be a concerted focus on Longford.
“There needs to be a real opportunity to live and work in Longford. Longford has a very diverse population and is a friendly county,” Ms McDonald commented.
She went on to cite Bord na Móna as an example of what can be achieved in this region. “Bord na Móna now produces clean products rather than fossil fuels. This region needs the right policies and the right frame of mind.”
She went on to say that ‘a new energy’ is needed at government level. “There needs to be a determination to fix housing and health. The country needs to be run fairly and efficiently.”
The job of councillor has been arguably undermined by increased centralization at government level. But according to Deputy Sorca Clarke, herself a former councillor, the role of councillor is still important.
“County councils are still a seat of democracy. However, the changes that were brought in by legislation (such as scrapping town councils) require a bedding in period. Councillors do have access to state agencies,” Deputy Clarke said.
Deputy Clarke received 3,500 first preferences in Co Longford in the 2020 General Election. Translating those votes into at least one seat on Longford County Council is the challenge for Sinn Féin.
“We have three strong candidates in county Longford and we will focus strongly on local issues,” Deputy Clarke added.
Apart from becoming Taoiseach, the other burning ambition of Mary Lou McDonald is to see a united Ireland.
She is confident that this will happen within a decade. “I regard reunification as being a big economic and social opportunity. When I travel abroad, I am asked ‘what’s next’ for Ireland. A united Ireland would create economic opportunities, particularly in terms of the US.”
She believes that people, in addition to day to day concerns, are interested in a united Ireland.
“People are dealing with what’s in front of them but I believe that they also have an eye on the future for both their family and community,” she stated.