New electoral boundary a 'pure disaster' for North-West Kilkenny

“We are fast becoming the forgotten people,” says Seamus Fogarty who is a Kilkenny native that will this year, like thousands of others for the first time, be reluctantly voting for Tipperary politicians.

“The new boundary is a pure disaster and we will be left without our traditional representation. The politicians on the council will say contact your TD, who will be from Tipperary and he might have other priorities, while the TD will likely say go back to your local councillor, so what do we do?”

It is a point echoed throughout the new electoral area which is - as one local who didn’t want to be named put it -  “apartheid like” such is the anger felt by many. 

They feel in some ways segregated and left alone with Evan Barry the sole local candidate from the area.

“I will vote but I know people that don’t want to vote now with the changes,” says Maura who runs a small business from home near Lisdowney. 

“We are neither in Kilkenny or Tipperary now. We will have no Kilkenny TD and will have no hope of improving services I think because politicians from both counties will see it as the other counties responsibility. I have voted for Kilkenny politicians all my life and I intended to continue doing so but I have very few options now bar moving house,” she says. 

FOR MORE NORTH KILKENNY NEWS, CLICK HERE

“There are the same issues here as in other areas too, with housing and the price of everything going up all the time” says PJ Ryan who lives on the border lands.

 “The problems with the new area isn’t just here either. They aren’t too happy around the Horse and Jockey and they have changed boundaries again up in north Tipperary. It is too much. 

“Like, I have been going to hurling matches for many years and beating Tipperary or wanting to beat them anyway was always part of our year. Now we have to vote for Tipperary politicians so our identity has been forgotten about.

“I am weary looking at this election coverage as well, it is pointing again towards the ‘status-quo’ and those two parties have no clear identity any more. It is just not right.

“It is so stale. There is no interest in this election only anger in a lot of quarters locally as we aren’t really playing any part,” he says.

“The general consensus amongst the voters from Urlingford is that we’d be better off not voting in this election,” says John Bowden who has a popular grocer and paints hardware store in the centre of Urlingford town which is right on the border.

While many said they will vote, PJ Ryan agrees there is a growing cohort that will just not bother voting at all: “I know there is a chap from near Kilkenny city going but will he really get many votes from Thurles or Nenagh or Borrisoleigh!

“At the end of the day three Tipperary politicans will be representing Kilkenny people so it is pure and utter madness,” he says.

“I’m disgusted this boundary change came in with the swipe of a pen. I do my shopping in Kilkenny, and my children go to school there every day. I know around Urlingford they shop in Thurles and the children go to Secondary School there but places between Urlingford and Kilkenny are in no-man’s-land now.

“That is the new reality. We haven’t anyone to represent us and I think we will have to get used to it but I can tell you one thing, I do respect the politicians who came to my door and listened. 

“I talked and they listened which is a start but the reality is if a politician from north Tipperary can deliver a project or a facility to Nenagh or Urlingford he won’t be picking the latter. 

“Now, they better not forget about us completely because if they do, half the businesses may shut up shop now. We are neglected. We are forgotten and you can print that.”