Sought after Tipp LEA seat to be keenly fought by four newcomers to the political arena

As the Local Elections approach, anticipation and excitement are palpable throughout the community, with the Newport LEA showing some of the familiar faces and some new blood entering the fray to battle it out for the four available seats.

The candidates from various parties and Independent backgrounds are gearing up to present their visions for the future, promising to address the pressing issues that matter most to the residents in the Newport Local Electoral Area.

Whether it be infrastructure, education, or economic development, the stakes are high, and the choices made by the public at the ballot box will shape the trajectory of our neighborhoods for years to come.

Five years on from the last Local Elections, there is a familiar feel to the candidates list for the 2024 version with heavy hitters like Fiona Bonfield, Phyll Bugler, and John Carroll all looking for re-election.

Labour Party candidate Fiona Bonfield has been a constant since her first election win a decade ago, and she swept to the top of the polling in the 2019 election, securing over a quarter of the votes cast, hitting 2,126 out of a turnout of 8,062 that year.
Bonfield will be hoping to once again secure one of the four seats available in the Newport LEA, with the Newport native likely to be followed by the other two current councillors in the race.

Fine Gael candidate Phyll Bugler will be hoping the voting follows a similar pattern to the previous running, with the Ballina woman coming third in the ballot in 2019 and one would expect that her run against Fianna Fáil’s John Carroll will be another close run thing, with 38 votes separating them after the final count five years ago.

Both Kilcolman native Carroll and Bugler have previously served as Cathaoirleach of the Nenagh Municipal District Council and with the popularity and standing these three candidates have in their areas, they will be in the shake-up next month.

Aside from the three well-known candidates, there is a very new look to the voting ballot in the Newport LEA this time around, with four new faces putting themselves in the shop window over the last few months.

There are three candidates in the Independent bracket running in the area for the very first time, with carer David Ahern of Portroe among them, who was previously Chairperson of the Tipperary Green Party. Along with Ahern, sales assistant Eddie O’Gorman from Killaloe has thrown his hat in the ring, while Templederry candidate Pamela Quirke O’Meara who is a Family Learning Co-ordinator, has stepped up to try and shake up the established order come the end of play in a few weeks time.

Finally, Sinn Féin will be running a new candidate this time around after Teresa Collins ran unsuccessfully in 2019, with school teacher Gavin Ryan from Newport hoping to make a long-awaited impact for his party in the Newport LEA.