Noel Connell (Sinn Fein)

Noel Connell from Mountnugent is contesting the Local Elections in the Ballyjamesduff Municipal District on behalf of Sinn Féin. He was elected in 2014 but lost his seat in 2019. Noel is married with five children, self employed and back in the political arena “to make a difference”.

How do you unwind?

I love running. I run in Mullaghmeen Forest and Deerpark Forest in Virginia. I also like chatting to people.

Why should people vote for you?

I’m very passionate about what I do. When I achieve something or make a difference for someone less fortunate than myself, I get a great sense of satisfaction from that. If I’m elected I’ll be there to help people who are in difficulty with housing or filling out forms, etc.

What will you do to address housing supply?

We have to push the party on this matter if it gets into government. I would like to see a lot more houses being built but, because of the skills shortages here, that is slow. I would like to see more young people getting into apprenticeship programmes and I would like them to be paid better for taking up an apprenticeship in the first instance. I have spoken to people doing apprenticeships and they can’t afford to run their cars to get to the places where they are working, so that needs to be addressed.

Unfortunately, this country has exported a lot of its youth and I feel that, if those people could access housing, build futures here and raise their families, they would be here in Ireland, not overseas. The planning system is very, very difficult for people too, particularly when it comes to one-off housing in the countryside.

Has Ireland taken in enough refugees?

Well, the government has made a hash of this as far as I’m concerned. Taking in refugees to live on the streets in Dublin does not make sense to me. Ireland has been very accommodating to Ukrainian refugees because of the plight they found themselves in but the government established a system where people would let the Ukrainians into their homes and fill up rooms, yet it never worked out the way it was supposed to.

With regard to International Protection Applicants, they need to be processed efficiently here. If they are deemed eligible to stay here, then they should be sent out to work. Our hospitals are full of foreign doctors and nurses and we wouldn’t be able to survive without them.

What is your main campaigning issue?

Roads are the big topic and it’s all people are talking about on the doors. There are roads in this county that are actually sinking and, if they are not fixed, there will be serious accidents. There are dips, potholes, all sorts of problems and there is a lot of damage being done to vehicles because of the state of our roads. People are annoyed about it and feel that a lot more could be done on the issue.

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

I’d like to see it fairly close to the top but there are other important issues that need to be up there too. One of them is disability services in Co Cavan. The Cavan branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association is totally underfunded and concerns are growing now over its future here. When you see someone in a wheelchair who is not getting the support they need, it’s very difficult to understand how that could happen.

Who, in the political sphere, has influenced you the most?

I think that has to be Michelle Gildernew. I have done a lot of work with her over the last 15 years.

She goes out, talks to people on the doors and tries to find a solution to their problems. She is a very proactive person with great insight and knowledge, is down-to-earth and very, very capable.