The three Labour candidates running for seats on Galway City Council formally submitted their nomination papers on May Day at Galway City Hall, confirming that they will be on the ballot paper on May 24.
While May Day celebrations have their origins in pagan festivals, May Day in modern times results from a decision by the Socialists and Communists of the Second International to designate May 1 as International Workers' Day to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago in 1886, when seven people died after a bomb was thrown at a labour demonstration.
Labour's candidates for the 2019 local elections are Mayor Niall McNelis (Galway City West ), John McDonagh (Galway City Central ), and Liam Boyle (Galway City East ). "May Day is a special day for the Labour movement," said Mayor McNelis, "offering an opportunity to reflect on the long history of working people coming together to ensure a better, more equal, world for generations to come."
