'If you had told me at the start of the year that I would be in politics, I wouldn’t have believed you'

SPENDING just a few minutes in the company of Nicole Ryan is all you need to notice her drive and ambition, attributes which stood her in good stead as she embarked on a political career this year.

The 31-year-old helped Sinn Féin secure its highest ever vote in the Cork North West constituency during the 2024 general election.

“I think 2024 has been an absolute roller coaster ride for myself professionally and personally,” Ms Ryan told The Echo.

“If you had told me at the start of the year that I would be in politics at the end of the year, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“I think it definitely went better than anybody expected. I thought that I would do well, but I didn’t expect to do as well as I did.

“We had a phenomenal campaign team. The constituency is very hard to break into because it always has been Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael strongholds.”

Cork North West has always been a strongly conservative constituency. But Ms Ryan is determined to provide an alternative voice for those in the region.

In the recent general election, she helped to significantly increase the Sinn Féin share of the vote, gaining 12.73% of first preferences.

Ms Ryan feels that she can enable change and provide an alternative voice in the area in the future.

“It was evident from being around the constituency and from talking to people on the doors and the issues they were facing.

“I think that over the next five years, all I can do is build on that for the next election and it will be a very interesting to see what happens.

“The area is growing, you have a lot more families coming from the city and living out in the likes of Cloughduv and Macroom.

“All of those areas are only going to get bigger over the next five years, so it will be interesting to see how it all changes.”

She noticed certain issues coming up repeatedly as she knocked on doors during the election campaign.

“Carers and people with disabilities is a huge issue in Cork North West,” she highlighted. “I had people at the doors who were crying because they are means-tested and they are not being recognised, that is a huge issue.

“For the young people housing was the big concern.

“Actually, for young people, families, and middle-aged, housing was, across the board, one of the key issues. Young people are at a point where they were demotivated to even stay in the country.

“So, they were like ‘there is no hope for us and we are just going to have to leave because we have no other choice around that’.

“Childcare was a big thing too. We don’t have enough childcare facilities, and it is really expensive, all of that kind of stuff was a really big thing on the doors.”

Although a leading opposition voice in the Dáil, there are those who query what change Sinn Féin could deliver if they were to enter government.

When asked what her message is to those who may be sceptical of Sinn Féin, Ms Ryan outlines what she feels she and her party could bring to Cork North West.

“A fresh young energy, a new voice and someone who has lived experiences of different issues,” she said.

“I can empathise with the young people. I have been renting all my life and still currently renting, so I know what that is like.

“I think that if people are sceptical about Sinn Féin, I would say just reach out to the representatives and reach out to the TDs. Have a discussion with them and find out what you need to know before making that choice.

“Because at the end of the day, if nothing changes with our system nothing will change for us in Cork North West and we will just keep doing the same thing over and over again. That is just insanity.”

Nicole made her name initially as a drug awareness campaigner, after her brother Alex tragically passed away after taking a synthetic substance at a house party in 2016.

Like her Sinn Féin party leader Mary Lou McDonald, Ms Ryan is keen to be an example and encourage more young women to enter the political landscape.

“First of all, I think we need more women in politics,” she said.

“But it is hard because it is a man’s world.

“I think we need more people who are young in politics, who have fresher ideas and who have different types of experiences that they can bring to the table.

“For me it was totally worth entering politics, if I went back would I do it again 100%. I am really excited by what the future holds. So, I am just going to focus on working with my community and seeing where that gets me.

“I have always been an advocate for women in all walks of life. But definitely for more women in politics. We need more women, and it is great that Mary Lou is the leader as she is a powerful and strong woman.

“If we can have more women in politics, we have more chances of younger women having someone to look up to and say that can actually be me one day. More women in politics is a better thing.”

Ms Ryan is looking forward to some rest and relaxation time over the festive season before getting back to work again.

As to what she aims to achieve in 2025 and beyond, it is a case of playing her part to try and make further inroads for Sinn Féin in the Cork North West constituency.

“Over the next 12 months, I hope to stay in the political scene... just being the alternative voice for people and listening to them,” she said.

“Through the campaign, I made really great contacts.

“We made really big strides in this election. I don’t think anyone saw it coming, something we now have to build on for the next five years to really stand a chance of actually taking that seat and really breaking the status quo of Cork North West.”