Will Cork have female TDs after the general election?
Hopes are high that Cork will see an increase in female representation when the country votes on November 29.
In the last General Election, only one woman was elected in Cork, despite 16 female candidates running for 18 seats across five constituencies.
Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats and TD for Cork South West, will be hoping to hold onto her seat this time. With two additional seats in Cork, 31 female candidates have declared so far, and with five sitting TDs not seeking re-election, hopes are high that Cork will see an increase in female representation when the country votes on November 29.
Cork South Central has increased to a five-seat constituency. With long-standing Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney stepping down, local councillor Úna McCarthy will be hoping to fill one of them.
Úna is a secondary school teacher and lives in Carrigaline with her husband and two children. She is passionate about sport and involved in her local community through GAA.
“I am heavily involved in the camogie club in Carrigaline,” says Úna. “I train a few different teams there. I started training when my daughter was under five, and now she’s 13. I’m also involved with training the adult team.”
Úna was approached by a senior member of Fine Gael about being a county councillor as she was coming off a camogie pitch.
“Fine Gael at the time were looking for new talent,” she says. “I was co-opted in October to Cork County Council, and I ran then in the local elections in June, and I was successful in winning a seat.”
Law and order will be a priority for Úna if elected.
“I think it’s really important that we ensure we have more gardaí in Cork on the streets,” she says. “I’d be advocating for more guards to be deployed to Cork and stronger deterrents for people when they commit a crime, to ensure families, businesses, residents and tourists all feel safe coming to our city.”
In particular, Úna would like to see more gardaí on the beat, adding: “So we can see them. They’re visible. They’re patrolling the suburban areas, the estates and all of the areas that people are having difficulty at night-time, when there’s anti-social behaviour or car thefts,” she says.
Childcare is an issue Úna plans to champion if elected.
“It’s a critical issue for young families. I’ve met so many women who can’t go back to work after having a baby because there’s no creche facility,” she explains. “We need to have more access to suitable childcare.”
Úna also mentions transport and housing as priority areas of investment for Cork.
On a national level, Úna wants improvements for mental health services for children and young people, and assessments for children with additional needs.
“I’d be strongly advocating for children and teenagers, ensuring that we have the resources and the support that they need to thrive and to reach their full potential,” she says.
She highlights the importance of supporting small businesses.
“They’re the backbone of the local economy, and we need to provide better support for them,” says Úna.
“I would be advocating for things like grants and low-cost loans and mentorship programmes to help them to thrive.”
Úna believes now is the time for another female TD in her constituency, and that we need to show young girls what’s possible.
“We haven’t had a woman TD in Cork South Central since 2011 with Deirdre Clune,” she says. “We need to educate in schools that girls can get into leadership roles in business, and they can also get into politics in the future as well.”
There hasn’t been a Labour TD in Cork South Central since 2016. Seasoned campaigner and local councillor, Laura Harmon, is hoping to change that. With the expansion of the constituency, she sees an opportunity for more diversity.
“It’s gone from a four-seater to a five-seater, and I’m hoping that at least one of those seats will be filled by a woman,” she says.
Laura hails from Wilton and is the oldest of five sisters. Her interest in politics began while she was a student at University College Cork.
“I got involved in politics when I was in UCC back in the day, through the Students’ Union there, and then I went on to be present to the national Union of Students in Ireland 10 years ago,” she says.
Laura has continued working in education.
“I’m Executive Director of the Irish Council for International Students, so I work in higher education, representing students’ rights,” she says.
She is no stranger to campaigning for change.
“I have been campaigning for over 15 years in my own right. I was very involved in referendums around equality over the years as well,” she says.
Housing is a priority area for Laura.
“We need to treat the housing crisis like a national emergency,” she says.
“I’m worried that in my generation and those younger, if we don’t own our own home, by the time we hit pension age, we’re going to have a whole generation of pensioners paying sky-high rents.”
It’s an issue that is close to home for her.
“Three of my four younger sisters have emigrated in recent years. Part of it is the cost of living here and renting, and they didn’t see a prospect of owning their own homes,” she says.
Laura says childcare is an issue that has been coming up on the doorstep.
“I think we need a public model of childcare that the state will pay fair wages to those working in the sector like they do for primary and secondary school teachers,” she says.
Supports for people with disabilities and neurodiverse children is high on Laura’s agenda.
“I meet so many parents that are full-time campaigners for their children,” she says.
“There are lots of people that are being locked out in terms of education supports and health supports because they’re not getting early intervention and the supports they need.”
Transport is another priority.
“Public confidence in the transport system in Cork city is at an all-time low. The buses aren’t running on time. They’re not reliable. There’s ‘ghost buses’,” she says.
“We need more bus drivers. Obviously, they need to be paid fairly as well. And we need a light rail system for Cork.”
Laura highlights a number of areas that need to be prioritised to create a fairer society for women, including expansion of free contraception, support during menopause, and awareness around health screenings.
She also mentions tackling gender-based violence and the gender pay gap.
“We need to campaign for gender equality at all levels,” she says.
Nicole Ryan is 31 years old, from Millstreet in North Cork. She originally studied marine engineering, but changed careers after her brother passed away from an overdose.
“I had to do something, because I had a lot of grief at the time, and I didn’t know how to use it or channel it,” she explains. “I started Alex’s Adventure and I started teaching young people across Ireland about substance abuse.”
Nicole went on to become an addiction counsellor and work with people on a one-to-one basis. She has worked with community groups and social enterprises, and is currently working with a homeless service in Kerry.
Seeing people’s lives affected by politics inspired Nicole to get involved.
“I’ve seen a lot of my friends, a lot of other people, younger people especially, leaving, or else having to move back because they can’t find houses,” she says. “Rents are really expensive. Younger people can’t take up places in college because the infrastructure and transport isn’t there for them. And obviously they can’t find a place in the city, because it’s really hard for anybody to find rent at the moment.”
She identifies the rental market as a major issue.
“I know from living in areas around Cork and Cork North West, the rental market is unstable. The rents are high, but the conditions people are living in are really terrible,” says Nicole. “People are washing their walls because mould is a huge issue affecting their health.”
Nicole realised the best way to change things was to get involved.
“As a young person, as cliché as it is, sometimes you have to be the change you want to see. And I learned that through Alex’s Adventure,” she says.
If elected, Nicole wants to be a voice for underrepresented communities.
“I’m really passionate about women’s health, young people, infrastructure and bringing services back into our communities in rural Ireland,” she says.
“We have fantastic villages and towns, but they have been decimated over the last couple of years.”
She wants to see more investment in youth services, so young people have more options than alcohol and drugs.
“It’s looking at developing youth initiatives around different towns. How do we get young people engaged and excited about things that aren’t just drinking and drugging?,” she says.
Nicole plans to prioritise addiction services and mental health on a national level.
“There isn’t one town that isn’t touched by [addiction], but the access to services isn’t equal,” she says.
“That is just highlighting to people valid addiction is a health issue, and it needs a proper response.”
Nicole would like to see healthcare services for women be improved.
“A lot of gaslighting happens,” she says.
“(It’s about) taking women seriously, believing us when we say something is wrong and that it’s not just a fix of lose weight or it’s stress.
“It’s about helping women access those needed services and being more compassionate.”
Cliona O’Halloran is a former IT project manager and mother of two from Cobh. Two years ago, she decided she wanted to do work that was more meaningful, so she left her corporate role.
“There is just so much going on, and so many challenges coming down the road in terms of climate, and I really just wanted to get involved,” says Cliona.
She completed a masters in sustainability and enterprise at University College Cork, and set up a business as a sustainability consultant for small and medium enterprises.
She joined the Green Party, as it aligns with projects she is involved with in the community.
Cliona has been campaigning to improve bus services in Cobh, and has set up a programme called ‘Love it for Longer’, in partnership with local sustainability groups.
“We’re running a kids’ clothes swap, an adults’ fashion exchange for adults and teens, there’s a repair café,” she says. “We’re creating a culture and a discourse around making stuff last longer.
“It’s good for the environment, and for creating a new social hub as well.”
Cliona ran for the local elections this year, and although she didn’t win a seat, she received a lot of support.
“I missed out on a seat by 22 votes, but I actually saw that failure as a really positive thing, the response was amazing,” she says.
Her supporters encouraged her to go for the general election when it came around.
Cliona believes female representation in politics is important. “I think that was one of the biggest disappointments for me after the local election, that the representation on Cork County Council isn’t there, it isn’t high enough for women,” she says.
“We need to see more women in politics, and then we’ll get more women involved, and then a stronger voice for women.”
Key priorities for Cliona include transport, housing, childcare and protecting against climate change.
“Housing is holding so much progress back,” she says. “We talk about social issues, like our healthcare system and having enough people to work in it, but we can’t house them. A lot of things come back to housing and that massive lack of foresight there for about 10 years about building enough houses.”
Cliona wants to see investment in childcare and education to match the expansion of housing.
“Every single new housing development should have a facility that can be a childcare facility, whether it’s publicly or privately run, ideally publicly funded, and mainstream schools and special schools,” she says.
She believes childcare reform needs to continue.
“I wouldn’t be able to run for election if it wasn’t for the reduction in childcare fees,” she says. “I think that has set a massive foundation for going in the right direction.”
Transport is a big priority for Cliona, and while she welcomes the improvement in rail services in East Cork, she wants to see investment in rural bus networks.
“We need the bus networks around rural East Cork to start connecting up with that. There’s massive gaps in rural buses,” she says.
Deirdre O’Brien is a Cork County Councillor, representing Fermoy. She entered politics in 2016, when her brother Kevin O’Keeffe was elected as a TD and she was co-opted onto Cork County Council. She split her time between working in the constituency office and her role as a councillor. Although her brother lost his seat in 2020, Deirdre has held hers, and hopes to build on this success in the forthcoming general election.
Deirdre started her career working in Ernst & Young. She was a small business owner for a number of years, running a shop in Mitchelstown while her two sons were young. She also ran a building business with her husband, who is a farmer. When the downturn hit, she went to work for Laya Healthcare until 2016, when she entered politics full-time.
If elected, Deirdre wants to put development in her local area firmly on the agenda.
“Mitchelstown and Fermoy is at a standstill with the last 13 or 14 years, with no housing development due to a wastewater treatment plant,” she says.
“I would be saying to Uisce Éireann definitely, we’re looking for better infrastructure.”
She also identifies housing as a major issue, and wants to see more social and affordable houses.
“The costs now have soared, not to mind labour, the costs of supplies has gone through the roof. So we need more,” she says.
Representing a rural community, roads and transport are high priorities for Deirdre.
“Roads will be something I would be always, always very strong on. Or else, give us more public transport. We need our roads, but we need public transport as well,” she says.
Deirdre would like more Garda presence in local areas, adding: “This centralised logging calls can’t work because a Garda needs to have the local knowledge and we need to combat crime,” she says.
She also wants more enforcement measures on the roads.
“It’s not the answer to put down ramps everywhere and put up speeding signs, because some people just won’t adhere to them anyway,” she says.
“You need a Garda at the corner of the street, you need him at a point there every so often to flag down, and slap a ticket on them, and a cost, because I always feel hitting the pocket is the only way to make people sit up and think.”
In the health service, Deirdre wants to see more recruitment.
“We need more on the ground with service delivery of the HSE, occupational therapists, staff,” she says.
“For older people, we need more home helps. People should be allowed to live, as long as they’re physically or mentally able to, in their homes.”
Deirdre wants more support for young mothers who want to return to work, but who struggle due to costly childcare.
“The value of a stay at home mum is never recognised, but also not financially viable for many,” says Deirdre.
“But in employment outside the home there is no support for [the mother] as she juggles work life and looking after her children.”
Cllr Deirdre O’Brien (Fianna Fáil)
Mona Stromsoe (Aon)
Clíona O’Halloran (GP)
Kathryn Bermingham (Ind Ire)
Cllr Mary Linehan Foley (Ind)
Asch Ní Fhinn (PBP)
Catherine Lynch (Ind Ire)
Rachel Hurley Roche (Ind/WP)
Imelda Daly (FG)
Sandra Murphy Kelleher (FF)
Susan Doyle (SD)
Colette Finn (Green Party)
Becky Kealy (Aontú)
Nicole Ryan (Sinn Féin)
Ellen Barry (Ind Ire)
Lorna Bogue (Rabharta)
Cllr Úna McCarthy (FG)
Cllr Laura Harmon (Lab)
Anna Daly (Aon)
Monica Peres Oikeh (GP)
Michelle Cowhey Shahid (SF)
Margaret Kenneally (FF)
Veronica Houlihan (Ind Ire)
Valerie Ward (Ind Ire)
Deputy Holly Cairns (SD)
Evie Nevin (Lab)
Clare O’Callaghan (SF)
Deborah O’Driscoll (TIP)
Mary Ryder (GP)
Zoe Laplaud (PBP)
Máiréad Ruane (Aon)
*This list was correct at the time of going to print.
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