Sarah Tyrrell (Renua Ireland)

Sarah Tyrrell will contest the general election for Renua Ireland in the Meath East constituency. Since April 2015, she has been the Renua Ireland national membership co-ordinator.
A 25 year-old single parent and a first time candidate, she cites three issues as being extremely close to her heart: childcare should enable parents to enter employment and benefit from the financial and emotional benefits of earning an honest living. “Yet in Ireland, childcare is the greatest obstacle to parents who wish to do just that. We have got to make childcare cheaper,” she says.
Housing has become the single greatest worry on the minds of hundreds of thousands of Irish people. “We need to urgently address the supply issue, and simultaneously plan ahead to meet the needs of our ever-growing population,” she adds.
Mental health services in Ireland are appalling, she says, and more services and staff are needed. “We need to make Ireland proactive, not reactive, when it comes to prevention and treatment of mental illness,” Ms Tyrrell says. She adds: “I solemnly promise to do everything in my power to address these issues.”