Fianna Fáil candidate shares her vision for rural communities on campaign trail in Tipperary

It’s a mild, sunny Friday morning in The Commons and Fianna Fáil candidate Cllr Imelda Goldsboro is doing a tour of the village armed with a big stack of election leaflets.

This is the Fianna Fáil candidate’s electoral heartland just a few miles from her native Ballingarry. While she is expected to get a very strong vote in the village that originated as a coal miners settlement, she is not taking the votes of its residents for granted. It’s still important to call personally door-to-door and ask for their vote.

The morning’s canvas starts at St Patrick’s Terrace where two homes are already displaying Christmas decorations. The first resident Cllr Goldsboro meets is Josephine Kavanagh, who assures the candidate she will get her number one vote because of the help she has given her over the years.

At a group of houses for elderly people, she hands Paddy Tobin one of her leaflets when he opens his front door. “There is a good looking woman on it,” she jokes. Paddy asks how her campaign is going and Imelda replies: “It’s hard to call it, fingers crossed.”

Paddy is well-known to Imelda and she enquires if he attended the day centre that week and he confirms he did.
When she tells him Tipperary South constituency stretches as far as Limerick Junction with all the villages in between, he quips: “It’s a pair of roller blades you need to get around.”

Ballingarry Parish Field 

After leaving St Patrick’s Terrace, Cllr Goldsboro brings us to Ballingarry Parish Field that is used by the local soccer, athletics, and GAA clubs.

She describes the community’s redevelopment plans for the busy sports field including the replacement of the old pavilion building.

Helping to secure capital funding for projects like this for communities throughout south Tipperary is one of the reasons she wants to become a TD.

She argues that voting in a candidate like her from a political party likely to be part of the next Government coalition is south Tipperary communities’ best chance of getting a slice of the State’s pot of funding available for such developments.

Tracy Lawlor is the first person to answer her door in O’Sullivan Terrace. She has toddler Daithí Webster in her arms, whom she is minding, and he gives Imelda a big kiss. When asked what are her pressing election issues, she replies that housing is the big problem. She has three children and her eldest is two and a half years waiting on the social housing list for a home.

Lorraine Fitzgerald and Davina Keating are full of amiable chat when they answer Cllr Goldsboro’s knock a few doors up.

Cost of living

After discussing Christmas decorations and Ballingarry Bingo, Lorraine says the high cost of living is a big issue for her.

“Every family is feeling the pinch; there’s no point saying otherwise.

“I struggled last year to fund Christmas and I am struggling still this year even with the (State allowances) bonuses they are giving; though they are a great help.”

The qualifying criteria for the Carers Allowance, particularly the means test, is a bone of contention for both women. Lorraine who cares for a daughter with Type One diabetes points out she is only entitled to the Half-rate Carers Allowance because her husband is working.

Davina, who has a daughter with autism, is critical of the fact parents are not entitled to receive the Domiciliary Care Allowance once the child reaches the age of 16. The child has to apply to receive a Disability Allowance themselves.

She argues if a child is in school until the age of 18 the Domiciliary Care Allowance should continue to be paid to their parent.

“You are handing it to a 16-year-old; they are not mature enough. I know there are people pushing for that for years and it's going no place,” she adds.

Ballingarry Café

The morning’s canvas concludes back in Ballingarry at the village’s homely community café in the community centre that was officially opened just over a year ago by Minister for Mental Health & Older Persons Mary Butler.

Cllr Goldsboro spearheaded the establishment of the volunteer run café as a social hub for the parish where residents, particularly pensioners and people living alone, can come to meet each other and avail of a nourishing meal at reasonable prices.

The cafe is busy this morning with a mix of locally based workers and older residents. And it’s no wonder, the three-course delicious lunch costs just €15.

The mother-of-three says she wants her legacy in politics to be the person who helped to bring people back into rural villages like Ballingarry as she believes loneliness is a big problem for many rural dwellers, particularly the old and those living alone.

“You need to have something in each village that people want to come here and be a part of such as a service they benefit from.”

Sister Patricia Wall comes up to Imelda as we eat and says she loves coming to the cafe for lunch.

The Presentation sister says she will be giving Imelda her number one vote even though she is a Fine Gael supporter.

“She has done great work over the years, but mind yourself,” she says to the candidate in a gentle caution not to overdo the campaigning.

Cllr Goldsboro says it’s a financial struggle to keep the community café going but she is determined to ensure it remains open. “We will keep it going; it’s a lifeline for many people.”

Read full coverage of Fianna Fáil candidate Cllr Imelda Goldsboro on the campaign trail in this week's edition of The Nationalist now on sale in local shops.