Going out and putting forward an alternative message to the people of Mayo is something that Senator Rose Conway Walsh has been doing for a long time now; she first contested the local elections in 2004, taking over 12 per cent of the first preference votes in the Belmullet area - but missed out on the seat. In 2009, she once again put herself before the people, this time taking a seat, after increasing her vote share to 15 per cent and getting elected on the sixth and final count.
Two years later she put herself forward for the general election as part of a two person Sinn Féin ticket and was eliminated on the sixth count, after finishing in eighth place when the number one votes were counted up in the then five seat constituency. In 2014 she topped the polls in the West Mayo constituency in the local elections, beating the quota on the first count and two years later in 2016 she once again ran in the general election, finishing in sixth place in the four-seat constituency, picking up ten per cent of the first preference votes and was subsequently elected to the Seanad, where she has been her party's leader for the past four years.
She told the Mayo Advertiser this week, while she has enjoyed her time in the Seanad she was still disappointed to miss out on a Dáil seat last time around: "It has been really enjoyable, don’t get me wrong; I was disappointed when I did not get elected to the Dail in 2016 but was delighted when my Party put me forward for the Seanad. I have been involved in politics for 17 years and I really enjoy helping people. You do get an inner smile when you help someone fight the system and they get what they are entitled to."
Getting back out there on the doors in recent weeks, Conway-Walsh has found the reception to her and her party's message has been very positive. She added: "The reception has been very warm and hospitable. There has been good engagement on the doorsteps and people are being very vocal about what they want, and more importantly, what they don’t want. They don’t want more of the same. They are telling me they want real change.
"The messages are a mixture of local and national politics. There is a mood for change. The people feel that the West, and Mayo, has been neglected over the years by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
"The people want to see real investment in our infrastructure right across the county where it is most needed, not simply the political chicanery of selected projects that are designed to get politicians votes. They want to have access to proper health care services and to know that they can access them in a timely fashion. They want to be able to enjoy a decent standard of living, knowing that everyone, including the banks, property speculators and investors, are paying their proper taxes rather than the burden falling mostly on those not able to afford it."
As for the mood and feel on the campaign trail, things have changed in terms of people engaging, she said, adding: "There is definitely a mood for change among a large swathe of the electorate. This is particularly the case because they feel that the promises made to them by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were never delivered on. They feel governments have left them behind.
"It does feel very different, not just because of what we are hearing on the doorsteps about the need for change, but I have had so many people contacting me personally to say that they are going to give me their number one vote this time, but also offering to help out in my campaign. That wasn’t happening in the 2016 campaign."
The people are being receptive to the change that Sinn Féin say they will bring, she added, saying: "People are being receptive. They have carried the burden for the mistakes of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments for many years, the empty promises and false dawns, whilst all the time Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have looked after their own vested interests. The mood is one of ‘I want someone who is going to look after me and my family’, and they trust me to do that."
The nitty-gritty of getting out and talking to people on the doorsteps and in the towns is something that Conway-Walsh really has enjoyed during the campaign as she listened to their stories and issues. "I thoroughly enjoy and embrace meeting people. Everybody has a story and a unique journey. You get to see and understand the many difficulties that people face in just trying to get by. It also angers you in that you get to see the hoops that people must go through just to get what they are entitled to. It doesn’t matter if it’s a person waiting for a hospital appointment or operation, a farmer trying to get a CAP payment or a business owner having to deal with unrealistic overheads. At the same time you also get to have a laugh with people."
As for why the people of Mayo should give her their number one tomorrow she is very definite about what she can offer them: "Mayo people can trust me to work hard on their behalf and to fight for the things that really matter to them. They can count on me to put the needs of Mayo front and centre of national politics. I bring 17 years of experience in working on the ground, including four years representing them in the Seanad. I have done my very best at all times, speaking 651 times on issues that matter. If I get a mandate from people across Mayo I can make In the Dáil count for them. I know I can deliver real and positive change locally and nationally."
