A number of new candidates have been selected by parties for the upcoming local elections in Mayo, with Aontú having now selected three candidates to contest the elections.
The party, founded by former Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín, most recently announced Cathy Gaffney will run for the party in the Ballina Municipal District, joining Paul Lawless in the Claremorris Municipal District race and Tommy Horan, who will run in the Swinford Municipal District.
Gaffney, who has been living in Ballina for twenty years and has extended family there and in Knockmore and Foxford, is delighted to be part of the Aontu team for the Mayo local elections.
Speaking after her nomination she said: "Peadar Toibin is someone I admire greatly because I am passionate about real equality, between born and unborn, east and west, north and south, urban and rural. He has had the courage to be a real republican who cherishes all of the children and all the regions of Ireland equally.
"The truth is that decades of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments have left too many falling behind and this is particularly true of North Mayo in general and Ballina in particular. I am asking voters to break the habit of voting for those who have let us down and seem only able to deliver crumbs for their constituents. Returning FG and FF councillors is to endorse failure and neglect. I am also very concerned about housing and believe there is an imminent housing crisis in Ballina''.
Michael Farrington has been picked by Renua Ireland to be their candidate in the upcoming local elections in the Castlebar area. He represented the party in the 2016 General Election and received over 1,500 first preference votes.
Farrington stated this week: "The Party was anxious to run a candidate in the Castlebar area and I was happy to put myself forward. Castlebar, as the administrative centre for the county, needs to be promoted and developed to enable it become the major economic driver for all of Mayo.
"I believe, I can bring some fresh thinking and new ideas to help regenerate the town centre, develop tourism, grow the GMIT campus and make Castlebar more attractive to both Irish and Foreign investors.
"I am passionate about saving rural Ireland and our unique way of life which is under immense pressure from Dublin-centric politicians who view rural Ireland as a problem rather than an asset. When rural Ireland is viewed as a problem by politicians, this view then becomes embedded in the thinking of the upper echelons of the Public Service and consciously or unconsciously informs all their decisions on rural Ireland. Hence we have little or no investment, no broadband, closed Post Offices and Garda Stations, ever reducing public transport."
