Bailieborough Cootehill MD Candidate: Cllr Aiden Fitzpatrick

Aiden Fitzpatrick is married to Geraldine - with three adult children aged 27 to 21, two in Austrailia and one studying in UCD. He runs an outdoor catering business. He is involved in local sports clubs and the whole family has represented County in Cavan in hurling or camogie. The Fianna Fáil man has served one term on Cavan County Council.

How do you unwind?

I played last year for Cootehill in the first round of the championship in goals and a seven-a-side tournament this year. I love any sport: tennis, raquette ball, any ball game, cards, singing a bit of playwriting as well.

Why should people vote for you?

People will have seen over the last five years that I'm not afraid to speak on any cause once it's brought to my attention. I've spoken on a lot of different things, including immigration.

I've brought some good things to the council, such as the AED (defibrillator) registration, which is live at the moment. If you ring 999 you will be told where your nearest defibrillator is and what the access code is, and it could save a life.

I also brought communication boards to every county council-owned playground in Cavan. The Holy Family had explained that a lot of children communicate through the boards, so when they go to the playground they can point to what they want. I brought that to the council. I like empowering and getting funding for communities.

What will you do to address housing supply?

When I first entered the chamber there were supposed to be 20 social houses put into a private estate and I voted against it and got it turned down. But, unlike other councillors, I worked to get them replaced. There was a derelict site in the town and I wanted it developed first before they started a new one: it is going to be developed.

So in Cootehill we have six social houses that will go up this year, nine next year on Market Street, 13 on Chapel Lane and 44 then in Lios na Rí - that will solve the social need in Cootehill; regarding Bailieborough they've got 47 houses, which have started. I've also tabled a motion this week on more supports for people building their own houses.

Has Ireland taken in enough refugees?

My first opinion is yes they have but, if you look at the figures, they are only at the European average - they're not above it. If the whole system was tackled better it wouldn't be an issue. We only took in 13,000 last year, which is only 1.2% of the total Europe took in. It doesn't sound like we've taken in too many, but the way it has been handled has been a disaster. I raised it in the council last February about refugees coming to the White Horse in Cootehill and about them coming to Castletara. Putting refugees in and then consulting with the communities is wrong. If they consulted with the community first, they would find it is an awful lot easier.

What's your main campaigning issue?

Funding for roads is definitely one thing we need to campaign for. There's very little we can do - we have a Green minister who doesn't seem to want to put money into roads - but we'll keep knocking on the door.

I also had a motion this week for medical cards for all patients regardless of their means. Once you have cancer, it should be automatic because it's being told that and having to go through the torture of applying for one and then after six months having it taken off you because you have a couple of fields up the road.

Should biodiversity/climate top the council agenda?

It probably shouldn't be at the very top, but it is something we have to take on board.

I would be an advocate for anaerobic digestion along with Cllr Winston Bennett. Ourselves in Cootehill Area Development have done a feasibility study on anaerobic digestion and it is viable but the government have to inject a subsidy on the gas - like it is in every other European country. It will help farmers get rid of their slurry, it will clean the slurry of toxins and at the same time create green energy.  We have a gas line in Cootehill and the large manufacturing companies must get green gas before 2030 to reach their carbon emission targets.

Who in the political sphere has influenced you most?

My uncle Michael Fitzpatrick was a TD in Kildare. When he was running campaigns, we were all down canvassing for him. He died of Motor Neurone Disease in 2008, so he was only a TD for a short time. He worked tirelessly for the community, and I always thought I'd like to follow in his footsteps.