Election campaigns similar to "blood sport" - Harding

Re elected Fianna Fail Cllr Wayne Harding has described election campaigns as a "blood sport."

Cllr Harding made the comments after retaining his seat in the Laytown/Bettystown electoral area earlier this month.

The slane publican was re elected on the tenth with 1726 votes and will entering his fourth term as a councillor.

Harding spoke of being "relieved and happy" to be able to continue his work on Meath County Council.

"It's the fourth term and it's been a difficult campaign," said the Slane based councillor.

"Elections are so hard on everyone around you but they never stop supporting you and they are all here today. My mam and dad who are in their 80s at this stage and my wife Yvette and the kids Ethan and Amelia have all been brilliant," he added.

Although it was a sweet day for him in the Simonstown count centre earlier this month,the Fianna Fail councillor recognises that not everyone go aways with a prize.

"You leave everything out there and sometimes it doesn't go right for people and I feel for them today as well," said Harding.

"It's a blood sport without the blood and when it goes wrong for you it's so painful and I'm just so relieved and happy to be able to start working again."

It's straight back to business for Harding who has plenty to be getting with in the line of council business as he explains:

"The oral hearings into the Slane Bypass should start in the next month or so and the Boyne Greenway is well progressed so there is a lot of work to do."

Meanwhile Fianna Fail councillor Conor Tormey says he thinks a law needs to be introduced to stop anonymous social media accounts abusing local representatives.

Tormey was re elected in the Ashbourne Municipal District area on June 10th.

The Ashbourne auctioneer returned as a member of Meath County Council in 2018 after a 14-year absence. The councillor was formally co-opted to the 40-member council to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Cllr Sean Smith who emigrated with his family to the United States. He had previously been a councillor from 1999 to 2004 and was Cathaoirleach in 2001.

Although glad to get back into politics, The Fianna Fail Cllr says he wasn’t prepared for the negative impact of social media, something that he didn’t have to continue with in previous terms as he explains:

"I remember coming back into this five years ago and one of the other councillors said, 'Conor it is a whole different world from when you were last here,' which was thirteen years earlier.

"Social media is terrible, I have to be honest. Faceless people hiding behind anonymous profiles is awful. They don’t realise the work I and the other councillors put in to trying to make our area better, we shouldn’t have to put up with abuse into the bargain.

"I think some kind of law needs to come In to stop these people."

Tormey added that he was looking forward to getting back to work and representing the people of Ashbourne.

"We are all unanimous in putting up a fight whether it’s Thornton Hall or a new park or road works or whatever, we are all working together,” he said.

“ I know we have a fight on our hands with Thornton Hall and a new park is definitely a priority, we have the land zoned we just have to do some deal with the landowner and hopefully that will happen soon."