In the final victory of the local elections, independent candidate Tom McDonnell has secured the 949th councillor seat. The self-employed builder, who is a father of five, ran his campaign predominantly on the issue of unchecked immigration. Together with several other campaigners, McDonnell co-founded Éire Saor, which is an organisation focused on addressing homelessness in Newbridge, County Kildare.
In the Newbridge area, three campaigners from Éire Saor stood for election with anti-immigration as their primary agenda, and collectively garnered 10.1% of the votes. Their campaign is presented on the Éire Saor website through a variety of photos and videos, with their slogan standing as, “We demand a free sovereign Ireland for future generations”.
McDonnell triumphed after a grueling four recounts during the 10th count in the Newbridge electoral area. As a result, he, along with incumbent Fianna Fáil councillors Noel Heavey and Rob Power, seized the final available seats, outperforming Sinn Féin’s James Stokes and Aontú’s Melissa Byrne. McDonnell is also noted for his leadership of a group opposing the installation of modular homes in a local amenity area.
As an active participant in local sports clubs, such as the Sarsfields GAA and the Newbridge athletics club, McDonnell is a well-known figure within Newbridge’s local community. His views on immigration have resonated deeply with parts of this community, although he believes it has also caused extensive division in both urban and rural settings. The independent councillor has been a keynote speaker at multiple anti-immigrant rallies.
Despite maintaining that he is not anti-immigrant, McDonnell stressed that he stands against allowing immigrants who might harm Ireland’s women, children, and overall wellbeing entry into the country. Moreover, he has publicly labelled party politicians as ‘sell outs’ and ‘traitors to the country’.