Three selected to contest 2024 Local Elections in Kilkenny for Labour Party

Three people have been officially selected by the Labour Party to contest the upcoming Local Elections 2024 in Kilkenny.

Of key importance for the party will be to break regain a foothold in Kilkenny City, previously a stronghold, but where it has now been without a sitting councillor in almost a decade. At a selection convention last night in the Clubhouse Hotel, two candidates were selected to run in the city, and one in South Kilkenny.

Trade Union official Andrea Cleere, who previously contested the 2019 Local Election, is to run again, while former councillor Sean O’hArgain, recently retired as Principal of Gaelscoil Osraí, will also re-enter the local political fray.

Sitting councillor Tomas Breathnach will run again in the Piltown Municipal District, where he is heavily involved in many aspects of the community.

Cllr Tomas Breathnach, Andrea Cleere, and Sean O'hArgain. Picture: Vicky Comerford

Andrea Cleere said it was a great honour and privilege to be selected to run.

"My core beliefs are steeped in socialism, natural justice, trade unionism and hard work, these are values which were instilled in by my family and the experiences of growing up in my community," she said.

"I continued to grow these values through my work in the trade union movement working for SIPTU and have over the last two decades honed my communication, negotiation and strategic thinking.

"It is important that councillors are elected who possess the right skill for advocating on behalf of the people of Kilkenny.  We need Kilkenny County Council to have a bit more diversity, we need more females elected across the Council which will lead more equitable and considered decision making. I look forward to chatting to members of the public on the campaign trail, knocking on the doors and asking for their vote."

Sean O'hArgain, who is a former Mayor of Kilkenny, said he hoped to convince local voters he can build on the positive agenda in his year as mayor in 2012/2013.

"I considered long and seriously contesting this election, but it is my loyalty to my party that won the day," he said.

"It is frankly painful for all of us in this room that we have been without an elected councillor in Kilkenny City for almost a decade now. The legacy of Jimmy and Séamus Pattison, Joe Cody, Tommy and Molly Martin, Luke Boyle, Tony Patterson, Marie Fitzpatrick and so many others means that our party is still held in high regard in this city, with Labour having been central to the political life of the city since our state was founded. My determination is that we will be back at the heart of Kilkenny’s political life in June of this year."

The longtime Labour representative said he would be highlighting three key issues, with the first of them being housing.

"I believe that every young couple or single person in our city deserves a home of their own," he said.

"The failure of successive governments to build social housing in our city needs to be reversed immediately. The proud families who grew up in council estates in Kilkenny, from O’ Loughlin Road to Newpark to Fatima Place to Loughboy know what happens when our people are afforded that right. Along with building new social houses and apartments, we need to have affordable private housing available for our constantly growing city," he said.

"The second priority for me will be to continue with the creation of a sustainable city, which will be a healthy, prosperous and fulfilling place to live. Having a new generation in our family brings home much more clearly the crucial importance of taking the urgent actions we need to save our local, national and international environment.

"I will continue to lead by example in promoting sustainable transport. I was proud to be the first councillor to propose both our city bus system and bike rental scheme. We must continue to expand both schemes so that we give every citizen a real choice to reduce our dependence on cars.

"The third priority will be to ensure that every Kilkenny citizen has the right to well-paid and fair employment."