Mary Linehan Foley to run for Dáil seat in Cork East 

Long-serving Cork county councillor Mary Linehan Foley has vowed to work hard to see a greater level of investment in Cork East, if elected to Dáil Éireann.

The Independent councillor and former county mayor announced this week that she will contest the Cork East constituency at the next general election.

Elected to Youghal Town Council in 1999, Ms Linehan Foley had been the mayor of Youghal on three occasions before town councils were abolished and was also the first woman to hold the position.

Next step

“I’m 11 years in County Hall and I was at town-council level then before that.

“I feel that this is the next step for me and I feel I have the experience, number one, in that I work hard on the ground and I know the local issues, and I know all the issues that are national as well, at this stage,” Ms Linehan Foley told The Echo.

“I try and deal with them [national issues] on a local level as best I can, but I think, ‘You know what? Now is my time: Give it a shot!’”

The Youghal-based councillor is hoping it will be third time lucky being elected to the Dáil and vowed to “work hard” for her constituents and to campaign for further investment in Cork East, if she secures a seat.

“There’s a lot of projects that I’m well aware of in my home town — and not just my home town, but all over Cork East — that are on the ground and that the local authority is trying to get done and it’s funding basically [stalling projects]. It’s a case of trying to fight for funding and to make sure that the ministers and everyone is aware of the East Cork area and what is needed here and I’d hope to be a voice in trying to get that across,” she said.