European election candidate visits Kilkenny on campaign trail
PICTURE: Vicky Comerford
Labour Party candidate Niamh Hourigan officially launched her European election campaign for the Ireland South constituency last week with a visit to Kilkenny.
If elected, she will represent ten counties including Kilkenny.
The Limerick native is no stranger to political life in her family with her father Michael Hourigan a former Mayor of Limerick, while her sister is Green Party TD, Neasa Hourigan.
The election hopeful and current Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in Limerick visited Kilkenny City last Thursday, meeting many business people and members of the general public.
"As somebody who has dipped in and out of Kilkenny in my 20s, it's only when you hit the ground here for something like this that you realise how much is going on, how vibrant the town is, how vibrant the economy is and a what a thriving place it is and in a sense a very outward looking place," she said during her visit.
Fighting for a just transition to a greener economy, introducing a European plan for affordable housing and protecting Irish neutrality are the candidates' main priorities, but can such objectives register with people on a local level?
"I don’t think people see or understand the connection between what's happening on the ground in Europe, even though there is often a strong connection so it gives me an opportunity to tease that out with people," Ms Hourigan commented.
"I do think a lot more work needs to be done to publicise you’re in a European constituency and this is what the actual constituency is."
The academic has spent 20 years in the field, so why swap the classroom for parliament?
"Coming from a political family you do see that politicians can make changes much quicker than academics who are in the background trying to push change from a policy perspective so that’s the reason at this stage of my career it's the next step for me," she said, adding, communication with local councillors and TDs will be at the heart of representing constituents in Kilkenny and the region.