The seven local electoral areas of Galway County Council are set to have 39 seats, and 79 individuals are vying for them. In the 2019 elections, Fianna Fáil emerged the victors, taking home 32.8% of the votes, or 15 seats. Fine Gael and Independents equally shared the remaining seats, with 11 each.
As recounted by the candidates, voters relay their worries about traffic, park and ride schemes, road conditions, and safety, particularly those in proximity to the N17 where multiple serious incidents have occurred. Other areas of concern include housing, health, specifically access to GPs and dentists, facilities for respite, and allowance for carers. The electorate is also advocating for more facilities like sports centres and swimming pools. Additionally, issues like the dearth of school places, after-school and child-care options in densely populated regions have been highlighted, although immigration doesn’t appear to be a prevalent issue.
The Green Party is presenting Cllr Alastair McKinstry once again for re-election in the Conamara South electoral sector, while running an additional five candidates throughout the local authority regions. The 2019 elections witnessed six Sinn Féin candidates and while gaining a mere 4.8% of the votes, Dermot Connelly secured a sole seat for the party in Ballinasloe. However, the party aims to boost their performance this time, with Connelly campaigning alongside nine other candidates.
The distribution of seats is as follows: 7 for Athenry – Oranmore, 6 for Ballinasloe, 4 for Conamara North, 5 for Conamara South, Gort – Kinvara, and Loughrea each, and 7 for Tuam. The 2024 elections will cover various areas including European, Ireland South, Dublin, and MNW elections, as well as votes for the Limerick Mayor and in Galway City and County, among others.
Refer to the results from the 2019 Galway County Council elections. The list below includes a selection of areas:
– Wicklow
– Wexford
– Westmeath
– Waterford
– Tipperary
– South Dublin
– Sligo
– Roscommon
– Offaly
– Monaghan
– Meath
– Mayo
– Louth
– Longford