PICTURES: Here are all the candidates running in the Piltown LEA in South Kilkenny

TAP '>' FOR NEXT PILTOWN LEA CANDIDATE

Benny McDonagh (Green Party)                              

Benny McDonagh is a Senior Project Assistant with primary expertise in sustainable energy in the Development Unit, at Technical University of the Shannon (TUS).

He worked for many years in London as a carpenter and building contractor before returning to Ireland in 1995, where he worked at a special needs community based in Kilkenny and Tipperary - in the building construction and maintenance area.

He has a passion for social and environmental issues, and went on to study for an MSc in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies at the Centre for Alternative Technology, completing it in 2014.

Since then, he has occupied various roles as a researcher, building contractor and consultant in the areas of energy management, sustainable construction and water treatment.

Mr McDonagh’s priorities include the retrofitting and renovation of homes and buildings to reduce homelessness and fuel poverty, tackling urban dereliction and vacancy, reviving our town centres and rural areas and fostering a new vision for agriculture that supports farmers and funds their efforts to diversify, decarbonise and nurture biodiversity.

“Our relationship with nature needs to change,” he said.

“Our economic model needs to be fundamentally altered and above all, humanity’s willingness to act as a united entity must gather pace. We are all important and we can all make a difference.”