Former Sinn Féin Cllr for Kildare LEA reacts to his defeat in Local Elections 2024

An outgoing Sinn Féin representative for Kildare town has lost his seat on Kildare County Council.

Noel Connolly, who was co-opted as a councillor to replace Patricia Ryan (who is a TD) was eliminated on Count 7 of the Kildare Local Electoral Area poll, which had a quota of 1,382 votes.

His remaining 515 votes were redistributed to the other candidates.

Mr Connolly got a first preference vote of 425.

Commenting on his elimination, he told the Leinster Leader: "It is still a good result (for Sinn Féin in Kildare), we still have a seat through Shónagh, and I’m delighted to see a new, female Sinn Féin Cllr for Kildare."

'TODAY HASN’T BEEN OVERLY POSITIVE FOR SINN FÉIN'

"While today hasn’t been overly positive for Sinn Féin, to put a positive spin on things, we are up by two per cent, while Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party are down seven per cent.

"But yes, still not a positive day for us."

He continued: "We are an activist party, and to be honest, I don’t have much faith in electoral politics, because the real politics happens on the ground."

"I have 19 families on a notice board in my office who are facing eviction, from all over Kildare, and while I’ve managed to arrange some kind of resolution for seven of them, at the same time, more needs to be done for housing (in Kildare).

"To be fair, Kildare is one of the better counties for the delivery of houses at a local level, and the Housing Department of Kildare County Council does work hard, we are still under-resourced and our targets are far too low; you would not believe the red tape involved."

He added: "Sinn Féin would propose a two-stage process for housing development process, instead of a four-stage process; it’s just needless bureaucracy."

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NEWLY-ELECTED COUNCILLOR

Mr Connolly will be replaced by newly elected Sinn Féin Cllr Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, who was elected on Count 9.

Upon the announcement of her election, Cllr Ní Raghallaigh was seen becoming emotional while surrounded by some of her Sinn Féin colleagues, some of whom were waving Palestinian flags.

"I am honoured to be in this position, I am so grateful to everyone who voted for me. I really look forward to working with and for the community (of Kildare), and the other councillors."

She added: "A very special mention to my colleague Noel Connolly for his support for me."

Cllr Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh. Photo credit: Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, Facebook.