BREAKING: Tipperary county councillor joins Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin have confirmed that Tipperary county councillor Annemarie Ryan has joined the party and will sit as part of the Sinn Féin group on the council in anticipation of the 2024 local elections.

She highlighted Sinn Féin’s determination to end the housing crisis, and to help create a fair and just society, as her primary motivations for joining the party.

Elected as an independent candidate in 2019, Cllr Ryan lives just outside Tipperary Town with her husband Loic and their two children Betty and Leon.

Born in Leeds to Irish parents, Annemarie moved to Tipperary in the early 1980s but, like so many others after school, she emigrated to Britain, eventually returning to Cork in the mid-1990s.  

In 2007, Annemarie and Loic returned to Tipperary Town, and opened the popular French Quarter Cafe, which they have run for the last 17 years.  

Annemarie became involved in local politics through her work with the community activist group March4Tipp, culminating in her standing successfully as an independent candidate in the 2019 local elections, and has worked tirelessly on behalf of her constituents for the past four years. 

Cllr Ryan said:

"I am joining Sinn Fein, and I’m looking forward to next year’s local elections, because I want to see Ireland become a fair and just society.

"In particular, I believe that Sinn Féin has the solutions and political will to end the housing and homelessness crisis.

"In the past year, I have seen a significant change in the focus of my council work, much of it now is assisting people - families, men, women and children - living in insecure tenancies and facing notices-to-quit. That is a damning indictment of decades of failed housing policies.

"Only a Sinn Féin government, and Sinn Féin council teams across the state, can undo that damage.

"People cannot contribute to society without a secure and affordable home over their head. It is damning to see the terrible impact homelessness and insecure tenancies are having on so many people.  

"The people of Tipperary are facing an almost impossible search for alternative rental accommodation with little hope of finding an affordable long-term secure home. Many others are equally unable to afford to buy a house given soaring house prices and lack of affordable accommodation schemes throughout the county.  

"The housing crisis is affecting the whole of society; those on low incomes reliant on social housing; working families; adults who have no choice but to remain living in the family home;  lost job opportunities due to insufficient accommodation options, and many more forced to emigrate.

"As a mother, I want my children to be able to afford to live independently. I don’t want them, or anybody else, to be forced out of the market, to have to emigrate or to have their futures limited because of the housing crisis."

Cllr Ryan outlined further issues of importance for her, adding: 

"I will continue to support the delivery of the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction Realignment. This includes the prioritisation of the Tipperary Town Bypass, which is a crucial element in the regeneration of Tipperary Town.

'It's important that rural villages as well as our market towns are included in future plans for growth and sustainable developement. I will continue to work hard to ensure they receive adequate supports.'

"I am an active member of Tipperary Town Revitalisation and am involved in many early stage projects. Such projects are aimed at combating high levels of social exclusion; creation of job and education opportunities, delivery of tourism projects and regeneration of Tipperary Town centre by finding uses for derelict and vacant properties,

"Sinn Fein's 2024 alternative budget proposed increased funding for Local Authorities, and from my experience to date, all local authorities, including Tipperary County Council, are consistently underfunded. This makes it impossible to deliver adequate services across all departments, e.g.  housing, roads, recreation and amenities, planning, environmental protection.

"When I was first elected, I promised to keep people informed of the work of the Local Authority. I promised to listen to people’s concerns and to act on their behalf. 

"I believe that if people look at my record, they will see that I have consistently done both of these things.

"I will continue being that voice for the community, I will continue to work hard on behalf of all constituents, and I will continue to represent all of the community."

Welcoming Cllr Ryan to Sinn Féin, Deputy Martin Browne said:

“Cllr Annemarie Ryan has proven herself to be an effective councillor and campaigner who is known for her tireless work in putting the interests of the community to the fore in all she does.

“This dedication is apparent through the numerous projects that have been brought to Tipperary town, and in the national attention that has been drawn to the need for a bypass of Tipperary town.

“I am very proud to have her as a member of Tipperary team Sinn Féin.

Cllrs Tony Black and David Dunne said:

“We have seen first hand the immense contribution that Cllr Ryan has made in advocating on behalf of her constituents at council level and as a campaigner.

“Whether representing her constituents on matters of housing, infrastructure, or job creation, Cllr Ryan has proved to be tireless in her commitment towards the people of Tipperary.

“Cllr Ryan’s addition to Sinn Fein locally will make our presence stronger and will increase our influence as we continue to deliver for the people of Tipperary at council level.”