‘The most difficult election that I have contested,’ says Michael Lowry

Undoubtedly the most popular candidate in the Tipperary North/North West Kilkenny constituency in this General Election is Michael Lowry.

A powerhouse in Tipperary politics, Lowry has topped the polls in his constituency in each of the last six General Elections, and is looking to make it seven this time around in 2024.

Ruling Lowry out is difficult. He is an exceptionally popular character in Thurles and the wider county, and his polling numbers across the years showcase this.

Receiving 14,802 first-preference votes in the 2020 General Election, Lowry pulled in almost 5,000 more first-preference votes than the candidate with the second-most votes, Martin Browne, who received 10,004.

Looking at the last time the county was split into a North/South divide, Lowry performed similarly, topping the polls with 14,104 first-preference votes, also being elected on the first count.

With all of this taken into account, Lowry seems to be the standout candidate to be elected in the constituency.

Out on the canvassing trail with Lowry shows you just how popular a figure he is. While with most candidates, the job involves exchanging a few words at the doorstep and handing out fliers, Lowry was invited into the homes of some voters for personal chats, and to take photos.

Support for Lowry in Thurles then is seemingly as strong as ever and he considers Thurles to be his central hub of voters.

That being said, the Independent candidate discussed with the Tipperary Star how the newly redrawn boundaries put in place split across the county has made this the toughest election campaign he has ever faced.

“I’m happy that people realise that I’m a worker, that I have achieved a lot. You know, I work for people on an individual and on a personal basis, and it’s nice to hear at the doorstep that they’re rewarding you for that by retaining their confidence in you.

“But the fact about politics is it’s all about on the day, you have to do it on the day, and I don’t want people to leave it to someone else to elect me, you know, don’t say ‘someone else will elect him,’ they won’t, it has to be yourself.
“If everybody plays their part, I hope to be successful. I have no guarantee.

“But, as I said, it’s the most difficult election that I have contested, because we have different townslands, we have different boundaries, we have different towns, and we have a different population.

“There’s new challenges involved in the whole lot, so I’m not taking anything for granted. I would say that I have done the work, I’ve earned my place, and I hope that the people will support me on the day,” he said.