Laois Sinn Féin candidate to contest 2024 Local Elections

Sinn Féin Local Representative Aaron Kelly has announced his intention to run in the Local Elections in 2024.

The Graiguecullen native will run alongside Aidan Mullins, the Portarlington based serving Sinn Féin Councillor for the Portarlington Graiguecullen Local Electoral Area(LEA).

Mr Kelly is a born and bred Graigue man, living locally in the area. He has been a Sinn Féin member since 2018 and has carried out a number of roles within the organisation in Laois. He has been treasurer of his local Cumann, a member of the Laois Comhairle Ceantair, a voting delegate at the Ard Fheis and PRO for Laois Sinn Féin. 

Mr Kelly has also been a key speaker at several local commemorations of the 1916 Easter Rising and Hunger Strikes and is renowned within the party for his voluntary commitment to the community as a local representative.

"I have been an active republican for a number of years now and my community and county mean so much to me. My main goal as a local representative is to help to ease the cost of living and improve the standards of life for the local people that I represent within the LEA.

To do this, I will focus on improvements at a local level for housing, healthcare, transport, infrastructure and education.  Entering politics for the first time, I understand the challenges that are ahead of me but I am ready to become a local representative and aim to give it my very best. There won't be any false promises made, but I will guarantee to give it 100% commitment and effort to help bring about the changes that are needed," he said. 

"I have worked as an accountant for over twelve years now and part of my job is to help people in business to succeed and this is what motivates me in my work; helping others.

I feel that big changes are needed in Ireland and these changes begin in our local towns and villages. I want to stand up for the people in my community. Some of the key areas that I feel passionate about are mental health, housing, local business, improvements to local services and bringing about a United Ireland," Mr Kelly said. 

Mr Kelly, who is engaged to be married, says big changes are needed in Ireland and that change has to start locally. He says he is up for the challenge.