Sinn Féin hoping to finally make their mark in Castlebar

IT'S Monday evening and the sun is in the sky. There isn't a breath of wind, so the odd midge is getting flight time in and around Castlebar. In the picturesque Dunbeag housing esate on the edge of town the residents are settling in for the night as a happy trio of Sinn Féin women go door to door, talking to the locals, discussing issues and asking for votes on June 7.

Local election candidates Donna Hyland and Maura O'Sullivan are accompanied by their party's TD for Mayo, Rose Conway Walsh and the happy chatter echoing from doorways is a good sign as The Mayo News arrives on the scene.

O'Sullivan has her own hospitality business in Islandeady, Hyland is a nurse and both are hoping to gain a seat on Mayo County Council in the Castlebar Muncipal Area. They're running-mates and determined to maximise the party vote in the area with the hope of at least one of them getting over the line.

“There are only only two female councillors on Mayo County Council and almost 30 males,” O'Sullivan explains to one Dunbeag resident who congratulates them for putting their names on the ballot paper. “It's hard to imagine any organisation or group working correctly with such an imbalance,” she adds.

The residents of Dunbeag are a perfect image of modern Ireland – young and old, native Irish and new-Irish all living beside one another. One resident tells Hyland, O'Sullivan and Conway Walsh that he has a vote in the local elections but not in the race for the European Parliament.

“Public transport is a huge issue for me. It's so very poor, yet we hear all this talk about the environment and trying to get cars off the road. I work remotely, but have to travel to Dublin once a week, so I know all about the lack of proper public tarnsport locally and nationally,” he adds before suddenly racing through the gathering on his doorstep.

Missing dog

“Apu, where have you gone?” he shouts worriedly as he careers down the footpath and leaves four surprised visitors in his wake. Soon the mystery is solved when the relieved man returns with his little pet dog who had slipped out while the canvassing conversation had been taking place.

Down the street, a mother of two is concerned about childcare and the inflexibility of the current regulations.

“I work shifts on a rotating pattern so my hours are irregular. If my kids are in a regular creche Monday to Friday I will miss so much time with them, so I have to have a childminder look after them. There are so many parents in our situation and the current regulations do very little for us or teh childminders. There is very little smart thinking about tax credits for family members or anything like that at the moment. I just hope if Sinn Féin are in government next year they do something for the huge amount of people like us across the country,” she adds before pledging her support to O'Sullivan and Hyland.

A knock on the door at the next house is met by a man saying he won't vote for anyone and the three women accept his comment and move on as The Mayo News wonders about the general reaction of homeowners to canvassers arriving on the doorstep.

“We've been at it for weeks now and I'm loving it,” Hyland explains. “People appreciate being listened to and I like hearing what they have to say.” It's the same with O'Sullivan. “Young or old, it doesn't matter, people want to talk about the challenges they face in life and that's what we're here for. Politicians are there to serve the people and if either or both of us are elected on June 7, that's what we'll do.”

Calling a halt

The hour of nine is quickly approaching and the trio know it's almost time to call a halt to another day on their feet. “I've gone through a pair of shoes already and there's still a few weeks to go,” Hyland explains before a local emerges to ask Conway Walsh to deliver a message to party-leader Mary Lou McDonald. “There's a prophesy which says we'll have a female Taoiseach in 2025 and I hope that comes true,” he tells her.

“I hope you're right, and I hope you have these two fine women in Mayo County Council in 2024,” the TD replies.