Election fever grips Meath
Election fever is mounting across Meath as the line up of candidates continues to grow.
While no date has confirmed for the election, all the parties are in election mode following the Taoiseach's declaration it will be held before the end of the year.
In a week, that saw Taoiseach, Simon Harris, and Minister Anne Rabbitte visit the county, poll topping Trim independent councillor, Noel French threw his hat into the mix after weeks of speculation.
Cllr French, has confirmed he will be looking to take a Meath West seat in the forthcoming general election.
Cllr French has significant support in the Trim electoral area achieving well over double the quota in last June's local government elections.
The former Fine Gael councillor, who left the party to run as an independent in the June election, was a FG councillor in GE 2020 and was in fifth place on the first count.
He said he has decided to run in the election as “I really want to be able to keep doing what I am doing and to do so much more. I really love my job, I love representing the place that I have lived my whole life, a community that I care passionately about.
“I love that everyday that I go into work, I have the opportunity to make people’s lives a little bit better. It is not work when you love what you do! I will stand up for you, putting you, the people first. I can make more of an impact in the Dáil than I can at council level.”
He said that as a councillor for the more than ten years he had demonstrated that he has the enthusiasm, aptitude and appetite for work in the community.
“And I have achieved a lot for the community. While it hasn’t always been easy, it has been rewarding and I now want to take that work to the next level in the Dáil.
“I am putting my name forward to give people a clear choice of more of the same or a strong and proven effective independent voice that will work for you. If elected I will work on your behalf to ensure Meath gets the funding it deserves and the facilities it needs. I am ambitious for Meath and what can be done to improve people’s lives.
“I want to continue to serve the people and communities in Meath. I love working with people and supporting community groups. Being a public representative is an honour I do not take lightly and I want to do more for people and the Dáil is an opportunity to do that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris visited Navan on Thursday to lend support to Cllr Linda Nelson Murray's election campaign.
He met with members of the local Active Retirement Group in the Community Centre on Trimgate Street, where he received a friendly welcome, good luck wishes and congratulations on his new role as Taoiseach.
Along with Cllr Nelson Murray he visited the businesses of Trimgate Street, where he was told of the challenges facing business and the increased costs they are now facing and those involved in the hospitality sector were anxious to talk to him about about the particular pressures they were under.
The Taoiseach also popped into Jack Kiernan's where he admired a Meath jersey.
Cllr Nelson Murray said she was delighted to have had his support and that of her fellow Fine Gael councillor, Cllr Yemi Adenuga and local party members on the canvass.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein's Cllr Maria White will be joining Deputy Darren O'Rourke on the SF ticket in Meath East.
Cllr White, principal of Scoil Olibheir Naofa in Laytown is founder of the local gaelscoil, a member of the East Coast Family Resource Centre, Mornington Tidy Towns, LMETB and is on the Board of Youthreach, Colaiste na hhInse and DIFE. She was elected to the council for the first time in June's election
In Meath East, which will now become a four seater constituency, Deputy Thomas Byrne and Cllr Caroline O'Reilly have received the Fianna Fail nomination, while Fine Gael will run two candidates, Minister Helen McEntee and Cllr Sharon Tolan. Sinn Fein is running Deputy Darren O'Rourke and Cllr Maria White, while Eilish Balfe is the Labour party candidate, Emer Tóibín is running for Aontú and Ruadhan Bonham for the Green Party, while Cllr Gillian Toole is running as an Independent.
Those already declared to run in Meath West are Deputy Peadar Tóibín (Aontú), Deputy Johnny Guirke (SF), Cllr Aisling Dempsey (FF), Cllr Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Cllr Ronan Moore (Soc Dem) and Cllr Noel French (Ind).