Labour Party selects candidates for Nenagh Newport area in next year's local elections

The Labour Party is to run two female candidates in the Nenagh Newport Local Electoral Area in next June’s local elections.
Over 100 party faithful packed the convention in the Abbey Court Hotel last Friday at which sitting councillor Fiona Bonfield

was chosen to run in the Newport area, with Louise Morgan Walsh, who just missed out on a seat in the 2019 elections running in Nenagh.

There was an unmistakable buzz around the room, added to by TG4 Glór Tíre contestant Molly O’Connell who led the crowd in a rousing rendition of Slievenamon to get the proceedings going.

Convention chair Duncan Smith, the party’s Spokesperson on Health, said that Ms Morgan Walsh had “hit the crossbar” last time, but forecast she will succeed in 2024.

Ms Morgan Walsh received 1,461 votes in 2019, losing out by just 55 votes to Cllr Hughie McGrath.

He described Cllr Bonfield as an “unbelievable worker”.

Cllr Bonfield was proposed by former Portroe councillor Sean Creamer, who said that “saying she is a fantastic candidate would not get her elected. We need hard work from now until the votes are all counted.”

Firing a warning shot across the bows of other parties he declared that “Labour hasn’t gone away. Labour in north Tipperary will never go away.”

Cllr Bonfield was seconded by Lizzie Coleman.

Ms Morgan Walsh, a clinical nurse manager at Nenagh Hospital, was proposed by her cousin Noreen Kennedy who said she “always had drive and dedication and was a most caring nurse and friend”.

“She has a drive in her and she can go all the way,” said Ms Kennedy. She may have been pipped at the post last time, but Ms Kennedy said she will “come home a winner” in 2024.

Seconding Ms Morgan Walsh, former Nenagh Mayor and county councillor Virginia O’Dowd said she had a “lovely style of campaigning and was very involved in the community. While you can never say for sure that someone is going to get elected, you will make it next time.”

In her acceptance speech, Cllr Bonfield thanked all those who had supported her since she first entered politics 10 years ago.
“I just hope I have made you proud through my work on Tipperary County Council,” she said.

Ms Morgan Walsh described being selected to run as a “very proud day” for her and her family.

“We are very lucky to have fantastic communities in Nenagh and around north Tipperary, communities that have come together during Covid restrictions and the cost of living crisis and have responded with compassion and solidarity. We are extremely grateful for the enormous contribution of our communities and volunteers and I want to be in the next local government to help our communities with the necessary supports during these challenging times.” said Ms Morgan Walsh.

Tipperary Labour TD Alan Kelly told the convention that the party was going to “absolutely make sure” the two candidates were elected.