Local businessman Seamus Sheridan has been selected to run for the Green Party in the next general election in the Galway West–South Mayo constituency.
Co-owner of Sheridan’s Cheesemongers and Green Party spokesperson for agriculture, food, and the marine, Sheridan missed out on a seat by some 45 votes when he represented the party in the city’s Galway City Central ward in last year’s local elections.
Seamus Sheridan, along with his brother Kevin, started their cheese business on a stall in the Galway Market in 1995. It has since grown to be recognised worldwide as a company that champions real food and the importance of family farming. The company now employs more than 50 people across the country, both in retailing and manufacturing.
He has been working with communities and children, particularly in the areas of nutrition and obesity, since the early 1990s. He served as a board member on the North/South ministerial body Safefood, and his work on projects such as local markets, community gardens, and cooking lessons for children have been adopted countrywide. He has been the Green Party’s spokesperson for agriculture, food, and the marine since 2012. He is a strong advocate for local business and agriculture and has led a four-year campaign for an indoor civic food market for Galway.
If elected, he intends to advocate for small and medium enterprises, and press for infrastructural investment for the area, particularly in the areas of transport and communications, and a sustainable approach to the future development of Galway.
“With proper planning and foresight, we have the opportunity to make Galway a truly 21st century city,” Mr Sheridan said. “If Galway is to grow its own local economy and attract further outside investment it will be because of our investment in housing, education, public transport, and civic amenities. If our city and the west of Ireland are to continue as world leaders in tourism it will be because of our care for the environment, coasts, and rural and farming communities.”
