Meet the next generation of Cork's political powerhouses 

WHILE some may be disillusioned by modern politics and the role of politicians, particularly younger generations, others are putting their heads above the parapet with the hope of bringing about change and enticing more young people to become involved in politics.

Amongst them is 25-year-old Róisín Nic Liam, who hails from Togher, and became involved in politics at the start of the pandemic.

“I come from a non-political family, but I was always interested in what was going on,” she said.

“I never knew exactly how to get involved, until I met someone who introduced me to Sinn Féin and I then got involved properly. After the pandemic, I volunteered and I got stuck into it from then on.”

Ms Nic Liam said there are many reasons why she chose to join the party.

“There are a lot of reasons why I choose Sinn Féin,” she said.

“The main one is the fact that as an Irish republican and a Gaeilgeoir, Sinn Féin was always the party that attracted me the most.

“As I became more familiar with politics in my teenage years I kind of always listened to their politicians and representatives in debates. I always identified with the politics that they had.

“Their policies in terms of housing, healthcare, opportunities, social justice, and equality were all the things that enticed me.

“As a Gaeilgeoir and a republican, it always seemed to me that Sinn Féin [was] the only party who would ever bring about a united Ireland. That was the main reason why I joined up and it has gotten broader ever since.”

The Sinn Féin member said she is greatly encouraged by the number of college students and young people currently joining the party.

“The number of young college students joining Sinn Féin is very strong and encouraging,” she said.

“I would have been involved with Sinn Féin in UCC during my master’s year. We had a very dedicated Cumann. It was very active and rooted in republicanism.

“That doesn’t mean that we can’t always look to improve. We always want more young people to get involved and join the party. Some young people are very busy in their own lives, and some see politics as a dirty word. The young generation would see Sinn Féin as the party that best represents them and stands up for them.”

Ms Nic Liam said that in order to entice more young people to get involved in politics, they need to be empowered.

“To get more people involved in politics, I think we must empower people,” she said.

“A lot of young people think of politics cynically a lot of the time, and maybe this is understandable as our generation has been so let down by the establishment politicians.

“We need to sit down and chat with people and let them know that they have a huge part to play and the power to change this country. This could involve getting involved nationally with macro politics or becoming involved locally in local communities and local activism.

“It is about showing them that their dedication and volunteering can bring about change in the country. We also need to listen to them. They need the platform to stand up and speak out about what they want and need.

“I am seeing a lot of friends emigrating and they don’t find a place for themselves in the political landscape because they are let down by the system. We need to reach out and give them the floor.”

The Cork political enthusiast said she has no immediate plans to contest elections.

“I’m happy out being involved with activism at the moment,” she said. “I find it very empowering. It is brilliant being rooted in our communities locally. I have no interest in running at the moment. I am happy to help locally.”

Keeva Walsh, 21, is from Carrignavar and is a member of Young Fine Gael. She said she got involved in politics when she was in college.

“I was 19 when I got involved in politics.,” she said. “I did politics in college. I did an arts degree, and I did history and politics. I really enjoyed the politics aspect. From there I looked into which political party I wanted to join, and I found Young Fine Gael.”

Ms Walsh, who sits on the Fine Gael national executive as colleges organiser, said she picked Fine Gael due to its values.

“I looked at all the different political parties and what they stood for,” she said. “I went through all of them, and I liked Young Fine Gael. I liked their values. I liked that they were a party of equal opportunity and enterprise.

“There was also a family background in Fine Gael. My grandfather was a peace commissioner for Fine Gael. He wouldn’t have been too happy if I had joined another political party.”

The Cork woman, who works part-time in the office for Cork North Central TD Colm Burke, says she is concerned that many young people don’t vote and feel disenfranchised by the political system.

“Our numbers are not strong at college level in Cork,” she said.

“It is very hard to attract young people into politics. A lot of people think that Irish politics is the same as American politics. I hear a lot of this talk, especially from young people. They don’t do their research.

“There are so many young people who don’t vote. Some of my own friends haven’t even registered to vote. It is a big problem in Ireland that people don’t care about political issues.

“We need to teach people what is politics. It is not this big scary thing. When you think of politics, people don’t think of the day-to-day of politics.

“Local TDs are dealing with so many issues that help people daily. It is a nice job and good to help within the community. There is too much negativity in politics.”

Ms Walsh is due to start a Masters shortly and says she has no immediate plans to put her name forward for election.

“I don’t know if I will ever change my mind,” she said. “For now, I am happy working behind the scenes.”

Nelius Cotter is 24 years old and is from Castletownroche. He is a member of Ógra Fianna Fáil and their senior party.

He recalled how he first got involved in politics when he was a student.

“I initially got involved in politics in college through the Fianna Fáil Cumann in UCC,” he said.

“My parents’ house and my grandmother’s house are joined, and my grandmother was always very interested in politics.

“I would have grown up in a political household in that sense. I would have always had an interest. I tried Fianna Fáil in college and I liked it from day one.”

The young political enthusiast said he chose to join Fianna Fáil due to its strong representation in his locality and for what he sees as its reputation for getting things done.

“My grandmother, she would have been into Fianna Fáil and a republican,” he said. “I would have viewed Fianna Fáil as a practical party and a republican party. To me, they represented a party that got things done.

“In my own area, we would have always had a great Fianna Fáil representation, especially at local level. If there is any issue at all, no matter what party you are affiliated with, Fianna Fáil would always have been seen as a party people would have gone [to] seeking resolutions. They were always renowned as a party on your side.”

“Getting a fine balance is key,” said Mr Cotter with regards to recruiting young people into the party.

“We have a recruitment campaign coming up in September in all the college branches. Sometimes politics can be too political. When I joined, I wrongly thought you had to be related to a politician, or you had to know every policy. This is a misconception.

“For Ógra we have the politics and policy side of it and a serious aspect, but we also offer a huge social aspect such as nights out and trips away.

“From a youth perspective, our biggest branch would be UCC. I am in the Cork East Ógra Fianna Fáil and we would have a good few members there. Cork South Central and Cork North Central would be very strong as well.”

The young Fianna Fáil member is currently among five candidates who have been nominated to go before a selection convention in the coming weeks for the Fermoy/Mitchelstown Local Electoral Area.

Nelius said he enjoys canvassing and meeting the public.

“I am nominated for the Fermoy/Mitchelstown Local Electoral Area,” he said. “We will have a convention in September or October to select the candidates who will run for Fianna Fáil in next June’s local elections. Five candidates are currently nominated, and three candidates will be selected. There will be a ferocious competition. I like canvassing and engaging with members of the public. I have a genuine interest.”

Rob O’Donnell, 27, is from Cork City and is a member of the Green Party. He said he joined the Green Party in 2019 after being involved in several political campaigns.

“As a teenager and going into my early 20s, I was involved in a few campaigns, particularly in education,” he said. “I did a lot of years in the Irish Second Level Students Union. Then in 2019 I made the jump and decided to get involved on the political side. I joined the Green Party. It was around the time of the Green Wave and the European parliamentary elections.”

The Cork man said he joined the party for a variety of reasons.

“There were several reasons why I joined them,” he said. “I liked some of their representatives. For me, they were always onside on climate, social issues such as abortion rights, LGBT issues, and looking at the way we do things. I really liked their evidence-based policy and that they had their policy written down. A lot of other parties deal in soundbites.

“The Green Party is very strongly centre-left, if not even more left. If you look at their social policies, that is what people are interested in. People want to be able to afford to rent and to own their own home in the future.

“We are trying to rework the systems we are living in, so they are fair to people on all incomes and backgrounds and that they are sustainable, long-term. We need to move away from centre-right policies.”

Mr O’Donnell is currently working in the office of the MEP for Ireland South, Grace O’Sullivan, which he thoroughly enjoys.

“I am working in the Munster South MEP Grace O’Sullivan’s office in Cork,” he said. “It is busy, but I really enjoy it. There are lots of events on all the time. We keep ticking away.”

Rob, who ran in the 2020 general election, said he will be competing in next year’s local elections.

“I ran in the general election in Tipperary in 2020,” he said.

“That was a last-minute decision, three weeks out. We had no candidate, so I put myself forward.

“After engaging in that process, and even working for Grace for the last year, [I think] you need people in there who know what they are talking about and who have their convictions and want a better world in all the senses.

“There are some very unimpressive people in the European Parliament, the Dáil, the Seanad and at a local level. I will put myself forward for the local elections next year.”