Goldsboro aims to regain seat for Fianna Fáil in south Tipperary after nearly 14 year hiatus

It’s nearly 14 years since there was a Fianna Fáil TD from south Tipperary but Cllr Imelda Goldsboro is striving to end those years of electoral wilderness for the party in this part of the county.

The fact Fianna Fáil leader and Tanaiste Micheál Martin and Finance Minister Jack Chambers have made two visits each to the constituency to help the Ballingarry councillor with her campaigning shows the party believes it's in with a real fighting chance of regaining a seat in south Tipperary.

Cllr Goldsboro was first elected to Tipperary County Council in 2014 and topped the poll in the Carrick-on-Suir Local Electoral Area race in the subsequent two local elections in 2019 and June, securing first preference votes close to 2,000 on both occasions.

This is her second Dáil election having polled a respectable 4,082 votes in the all county Tipperary constituency in 2020.

After eight years of south Tipperary’s TDs coming from the Independent and Sinn Féin ranks, Cllr Goldsboro is urging the constituency’s voters to elect a TD from Fianna Fáil as the party is likely to be part of the new Government.

If they don’t elect a Government party TD “then you are not going to have a seat at the dinner table,” she argues.

The Ballingarry councillor is a strong advocate for securing State investment for sports and community projects and services to revitalise rural villages and parishes and to help the old and vulnerable.

She says every village in the constituency has a wish list and dream but needs Government funding to realise those dreams.

She has canvased every corner of the constituency at this stage and is delighted with the positive engagement she has received from the public on the doorsteps.

The housing shortage, heartbreaking cases of delays in assessments for children with autism, difficulties securing school places for them and lack of respite services for families of people with special needs along with the need for traffic calming measures in villages are among the issues voters have raised with her.

She says older voters are very appreciative of what the outgoing Government did for them in the recent Budget and feel the Coalition is looking after them.

She says the high cost of living is the biggest issue for working families though she believes they appreciate what the Government is doing to cut school costs such as the free books scheme and lower school transports fees.

And she has received positive feedback from communities and clubs that have received sports capital funding in the run up to the election.

She is hoping all these measures and her ten years of dedicated service as a councillor will be enough to elect her as Fianna Fáil's first south Tipperary TD in over a decade. 

Paddy Tobin enjoyed some banter with Cllr Imelda Goldsboro when she called to him during her canvas of The Commons village on Friday, November 15

Check out full coverage of Cllr Imelda Goldsboro on the campaign trail in The Commons and Ballingarry