Looking to occupy the 31 vacancies in Cok City Council’s five local electoral districts are 75 potential contenders. Back in 2019, the largest faction turned out to be Fianna Fáil with eight seats, with Fine Gael coming next with seven. The Green Party has its sights set on maintaining the four seats they won during the prior election, whilst Sinn Féin aims to recover the four seats it lost.
There have been a few shifts in party members and affiliations. Former Green Party Councillor Lorna Bogue now represents Rabharta. Departures by Fine Gael’s long-serving councillor Derry Canty from the southwest zone, as well as three of the council’s five independent councillors, have left some races wide open.
The currently all-male representation on the north side could be transformed if a female candidate wins a seat above the Lee. It will be worth keeping an eye on Social Democrats’ candidate Saoirse Mackin, a transgender activist, and Ireland People candidate Ross Lahvive, an active participant in library and anti-immigration demonstrations, in the north west constituency.
Key topics circulating among voters include the availability and expense of housing, immigration, and water quality. Northside residents are particularly concerned about water quality, as problems of discolouration have been reported for nearly two years. Providing attainable housing in the docklands development will be a prime strategic challenge for the incoming councillors, particularly with the expected surge in Cork’s population through 2040.
The city centre’s main concerns include safety, policing, handling derelict and empty buildings, and the delayed implementation of the events centre. In the suburbs, road and footpath maintenance are of utmost concern, along with the demand for a dependable and effective public transit system. This has given rise to the eager anticipation for the roll-out of Cork BusConnects and the Cork Commuter Rail Network strategy.
Under the electoral districts, Cork City North East, North West, South Central, and South East each offer six seats. The South West region has one more, offering seven seats. The remaining context of the information relates to various upcoming local and European elections in 2024, including those in Dublin, MNW, Ireland South, EU&I Voter App, the Limerick Mayor election and, of course, the elections in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork City and County, DLR, and Donegal.
A list of various cities and counties in Ireland includes locations such as Dublin, both city and south, in addition to Fingal. There’s also areas of Galway, incorporating both the city and the county. Kerry and Kildare can be found on this list. Further Irish locations stated include Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, and Mayo. Additionally, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, and Sligo are included. Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow round off the list. The 2019 results for Cork City Council are available to be seen as well.