Bailieborough Cootehill MD Candidate: Stiofán Conaty (SF)

Born and reared in Ballyhaise, and lives in Redhills with his partner Caroline Reilly. He works for Muineachán na Gaeilge, a local branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, which promotes and encourages the use of the Irish language outside of the classroom.

How do you unwind?

I enjoy reading and getting my thoughts out on paper, I find that’s very therapeutic. I’m also partial to watching a good documentary on politics or history for half an hour before bed. But things are quite busy with the election and a fulltime job so there’s not much unwinding!

Why should people vote for you?

I’m a hard-working activist. I have a drive and an ability to get things done and I’ve brought that to every role I’ve ever been involved with. I’m coming from a generation who has been locked out of home ownership and opportunities. I look at my siblings, cousins, friends: there’s a going away party every second weekend. I don’t want that to continue, I want to be a driver of change and I believe Sinn Féin can be a driver of change and make politics work better for young people, for families, for farmers and for communities.

What will you do to address housing supply?

Sinn Féin want to deliver the largest housing project ever in the history of the State and it’s badly needed.

You look to try to buy a house or rent a house - there’s none to be got and, if you do, you’re stuck in a rent trap and you will never get a mortgage. Things need to change - houses need to be built, simple as.

Cavan County Council need to roll up their sleeves in this next term because the housing crisis is the biggest issue in this country and it filters down to everything else.

Has Ireland taken in enough refugees?

There is a lot of anger and frustration out there, but it is directed at the wrong people. It shouldn’t be directed at the refugees, it should be directed at the people who made the policies. Don’t blame bad government policies on the poor souls who have come over here looking for refuge. The system is an absolute shambles and has been from the beginning.

People are looking at the fact that there’s no housing for Irish people, the fact that the health system is in a state of decay and they are saying, if refugees are coming in and we’re looking after them, why can’t we look after the Irish? I think we can look after everybody. People from other countries are playing a vital role in our economy and society, whether it’s doctors in hospitals, nurses in care homes or young lads and lassies playing for the local football or camogie team - this is positive. Immigration can be a positive thing, but it has to be handled right in a system that’s fair, efficient and enacted with proper communication with communities.

What is your main campaigning issue?

I want to see a regeneration of Cootehill town. I’m going around canvassing and the same issues are coming up: the roads are in a mess, the footpaths aren’t being looked after, the lack of speed ramps, simple things like yellow boxes, and pedestrian crossings - people are worried their children are getting mowed down. These are simple things that a county councillor could and should be doing.

I want to see services maintained in rural areas - that goes back to the housing issue as well, which is obviously a main peg in my campaign. We need to keep rural areas alive because, even if there are houses, people might not want to live there because the services aren’t there.

Should the biodiversity/climate crises be at the very top of the council’s agenda?

I believe so, it’s a very important issue and going back to simple things a county councillor should and could be doing - where are the electrical charge points in Cootehill town and villages? Then again, on the other hand we have to be careful that we are consulting and including the farming community with this, we’re not insulting and excluding them because they know the land better than any policy maker in Dublin ever will, so we have to get that balance right.

Who in the political sphere has influenced you most?

You couldn’t look beyond Pauline Tully, our local TD, who after all she has been through, to come out of it as such a strong and capable leader. I’m proud to bring her out to the doors with me as our spokesperson on disability and accessibility - I want to see her as the minister for those issues in the Dáil at the next election.