Five Tipperary politicians are contesting the Seanad election

Five Tipperary politicians, including one outgoing Senator, are contesting vocational panels seats in the Seanad election where polling opened last week and closes on Thursday, January 30.

All five candidates are from south Tipperary and two are among Tipperary County Council’s youngest councillors. Both are aged in their 20s.

Senator Garret Ahearn

Fine Gael Senator Garret Ahearn from Grange near Clonmel is seeking re-election to the Seanad’s seven-seat Administrative Panel.

He is one of 13 Fine Gael candidates seeking election to the Seanad and one of six from his party contesting the Administrative Panel race.

The former Mayor of Clonmel was first elected to the Upper House in April 2020 shortly after contesting the February 2020 election in the former all county Tipperary constituency.

Securing a Seanad seat in 2020 was significant for Fine Gael as the party had been without an Oireachtas member from Tipperary since the 2016 election.

Retaining his seat would further strengthen the party’s south Tipperary voice in the corridors of power in Leinster House following the election of his party colleague Michael Murphy from Clonmel to the Dáil before Christmas.

Cllr Richie Molloy

One of Senator Ahearn’s election rivals in the Administrative Panel race is another former Mayor of Clonmel Independent Cllr Richie Molloy.

The Clonmel man, who has served over 20 years as a councillor, secured the Family Carers Ireland nomination to contest the election.

This is the first Seanad election that Family Carers Ireland is a nominating body and Cllr Molloy is well qualified to be an advocate for carers in the upper house as he is Carers’ Support Manager for south Tipperary and Waterford and has worked for Family Carers Ireland for 25 years.

Cllr Imelda Goldsboro

Ballingarry Fianna Fáil Cllr Imelda Goldsboro has picked herself up from the disappointment of being pipped for Tipperary South’s third Dáil seat by Seamus Healy in the recent General Election by turning her attention to contesting the Seanad election.

The Carrick-on-Suir LEA poll topper in last June’s Tipperary County Council race is one of 11 Fianna Fáil candidates contesting the 11-seater Agricultural Panel race, which has a packed line-up of 28 candidates.

Winning a Seanad seat would be a significant boost for Fianna Fáil in south Tipperary as the last FF Oireachas member from this part of the county was Senator Labhrás O’Múrchú from Cashel who last served in the Seanad in 2016.

It would also increase her profile across the constituency for any future repeat shot at winning a Dáil seat

Another first time Seanad election candidate is Newcastle Independent Cllr Máirín McGrath, who is seeking to join her TD father Mattie in Leinster House.

Cllr McGrath is contesting the election six months after topping the poll in the Cahir LEA Race in the Tipperary County Council election.

She was first elected to the Council in 2019, the year she completed her third level degree in Politics, Economics & Law.

The young councillor has been nominated by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to contest the five-seat Cultural & Education Vocational Panel contest. She is an Irish set and Sean Nós dancer as well as PRO and Youth Officer for Tipperary Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

If Cllr McGrath is elected to the Seanad, she will be following in the footsteps of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Director Governor Labhrás Ó’Murchú who served as a Culture & Education panel senator for 20 years.

Cllr Declan Burgess

Another young gun contesting the Seanad election is Cashel Fine Gael Cllr Declan Burgess, who is currently Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council.

Like Cllr McGrath, the 29-year-old served on South Tipperary Comhairle na nÓg (youth parliament) in his teens and was first elected to the Council in 2019. This is also his first Seanad election.

He is contesting the nine-seater Industrial & Commercial Panel election as a nominee of the Credit Union Managers Association.

The five Tipperary candidates spent a gruelling few weeks in the lead up to the start of voting travelling the length and breadth of the country campaigning for votes among the Seanad’s electorate of TDs, outgoing Senators, county and city councillors.

Polling continues until 11am on January 30. Counting of votes will commence shortly after the close of polling.

In addition to the 43 vocational panel seats, there are six Senators elected by the NUI and Trinity College universities and 11 senators nominated by the Taoiseach.

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