New names join fierce battle in Macroom

WITH six seats up for grabs in the Macroom area, 10 candidates are contesting the local election including the six sitting councillors.

Five years ago, Fine Gael won three of the seats, with Michael Creed topping the poll, with 2,954 first preference votes, while his colleagues Eileen Lynch and Ted Lucey secured the fifth and sixth seat in a hotly-contested election.

The party actually ran four candidates, but former Cork North West TD Áine Collins failed to take a seat.

Fianna Fáil won two seats, with Gobnait Moynihan coming closely behind Creed with 2,665 first preference votes, while her colleague Michael Looney received 2,234 votes in what was his first local election.

They had fielded three candidates but Jason Fitzgerald failed to get over the line. This time around they have just two candidates running.

Martin Coughlan was the only non-party candidate to claim a seat in Macroom in 2019 and he will be hoping to maintain his presence in Cork County Council and keep his independent seat.

This time around the sitting councillors face a number of challengers including Independent Ireland candidate, Dermot Kelleher, who could possibly snatch one of the six seats.

The former president of the ICSA (Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association) is running for the party founded late last year by Cork South West TD Michael Collins, which also has two more Collins brothers running – in Bantry (Danny) and Bandon/Kinsale (John).

Beef and sheep farmer and ICSA President Dermot Kelleher on his farm in Inchigeela, West Cork. Photo: Andy Gibson.

Sinn Féin, too, will be looking to increase its vote in Macroom after a disappointing performance five years ago, so John O’Sullivan could be in the running for a seat.

Aontú are running a candidate again with Rosarie O’Leary, while it’s worth noting that neither the Social Democrats nor Labour are running candidates here.

The Green Party has selected barrister Harriet Burgess to run for them and will be hoping to make some inroads. It’s all to play for in what will be a fierce battle.