In Nenagh three veteran County Councillors contend for re-election

Three veteran councillors in the Nenagh Local Electoral Area compete again in this year’s Local Elections to keep their seats on Tipperary County Council. Cllr Seamus Morris, Cllr Joe Hannigan and Cllr Michael O’Meara were all popular votes in 2019, but each still has their work cut out for them.

Cllr Seamus Morris is perhaps the most outspoken and well-known of the three councillors standing for re-election. He has served three terms as a councillor, the first two as representative of Sinn Féin and his most recent as an Independent.

In the past five years, he has spoken out on a number of big issues at county and town level as well as at a national level. Some of those issues included the controversies of the emergency department in Nenagh, his vocal support of Palestine and a particular criticism of the structure of the county council.

Cllr Joe Hannigan is from Kilbarron just outside of Borrisokane and so has been a particular favourite of the people of Borrisokane and the nearby localities in previous elections. He has served two terms as councillor having first been elected in 2014. Cllr Hannigan tends to stick more closely to issues happening on a local level, but his passion and commitment are unquestionable.

Some recent areas of focus for him have included mooring times in Lough Derg and the upkeep of the standard and cleanliness of roads in his electoral area.

Cllr Michael O’Meara is part of Tipperary TD Michael Lowry’s team and hails from Lorrha. He is from a farming background and is heavily involved in GAA and sports in his community.

He is also known to be vocal and hardworking when it comes to developments in his electoral area, most recently shown in his calling for a new car park in Borrisokane.

The three councillors are sure to each be a popular choice amongst voters. Each has maintained a steady presence for the past five years in their communities.

The fact that their audiences and local areas are quite different should mean that there won’t be too much competition amongst themselves. However, the past five years have been tumultuous both on a national level as well as specifically in the Nenagh area.

Voters are facing a lot of concerns in the modern world and the elected council needs to be one that can meet the needs of modern demands.