While campaigning in Co Leitrim, Alice Shiels told Green Party canvassers that there had been an abrupt disruption in her water supply – a debacle she described as “utterly atrocious”. Shiels, who has been living in the local area since 1950, expressed her disbelief at the water cut during her interaction with local election candidate, Adam Ó Ceallaigh, and Pauline O’Reilly, the Green Party representative for Midlands-North West in the European Parliament.
Despite her evident distaste for the party, Ó Ceallaigh, having previously discussed similar utility matters with the Leitrim County Council, has secured Shiels’ vote. He recommended that she also support O’Reilly.
Shiels’s comments reflect her support for the individual, rather than the party. Although she raises concern about how the Green Party’s policies impact her ability to heat her home using turf, she applauds Ó Ceallaigh’s knowledge of the issues. The Green Party has historically struggled in Leitrim’s rural areas, gaining only 2.2% of the votes in the 2019 local elections, whilst Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have consistently dominated.
Notwithstanding, the 22-year-old Ó Ceallaigh remains optimistic. He aims to bring a young, revolutionary perspective to the local governance. The presence of Sinn Féin candidates, including Róisín Kenny, sibling of TD Martin Kenny, are not viewed as a hindrance to his electoral prospects.
Politicians should truly embody the interests of their constituents, says a local man who is yet to find a council representative that aligns with his own views. In the meantime, Senator O’Reilly is challenged by a hard campaign in the Midlands-North West. This election, she says, carries a different tone compared to the 2019 European one, as it has become apparent that the Green agenda seeks measurable actions. The boost in the number of local bus links is one of such strategies, she notes.
O’Reilly is convinced of her chances at success, highlighting the significance of the campaigns’ latter stages; local support in regions, like Galway, are often overlooked by nationwide polls.
The Green Party has traditionally been targetted as the ‘villain’ by rural dwellers, especially farmers. Contrary to this, O’Reilly clarifies to doubters that the Green Party ironically has funneled the most funds into farming communities. She reasoned this with the escalation in budgets for forestry and backing organic farming, among others.
Farmers are not against the idea of conservation; they have just not been given adequate support to pursue their passions and professions, explained O’Reilly.
In Ballinamore, the town has a passive reaction towards the Green Party candidates. Back in 2019, the town protested against the relocation of asylum seekers in their area; although the refuge centre has since been established. Ó Ceallaigh, an advocate for the “Leitrim for All” movement, reports that the relocated inhabitants have been integrated and warmly received by the town.
During the campaigning period, a citizen named Patrick McPolin, who is a supporter of Ó Ceallaigh, broached the topic of immigration and the predicament of asylum seekers residing in tents beside Dublin’s Grand Canal. He candidly admits, “I don’t know what the answer is.”
“On the whole, Ballinamore’s new inhabitants have melded in quite well,” he further asserts. A point of worry for McPolin, however, is the arrival of individuals in Ireland without their passports.
“There’s just no way we can allow a multitude of individuals, coming from high risk areas, to enter without any idea of their identities… As soon as we learn who they are, it’s no longer an issue simply because we don’t have enough residents in Ireland,” he elaborates.
Meanwhile, O’Reilly believes the global protection application procedure has become protracted and calls for it to be expedited to foster trust in the system. Several candidates supporting anti-immigration stances are vying for seats in the Midlands-North West area.
O’Reilly downplays the prominence of this issue in the campaign, stating it commands “less attention than people might think,” but admits that a “select few tend to create a disproportionate amount of commotion.”