SOCCER mad community activist Noel Hannan is pledging to donate his entire councillor’s salary to 16 clubs and charities if he wins a seat in the upcoming local elections.
The 60-year-old grandfather from St Patrick’s Road describes our current crop of public representatives as a “shower of bluffers” and is promising to kick them into touch on May 23.
Mr Hannan is running for local election as an independent candidate in the Limerick City East ward. A straight-talker, who works for the Irish Wheelchair Association and is also vice chairman of Geraldines AFC, he is planning an election campaign with a charitable twist.
“I am not putting any posters up. I am not canvassing at anyone’s door. I want my campaign to be different to anyone else’s,” he told the Limerick Post.
What he is planning, however, is to donate his entire councillor’s salary of €16,565 to local soccer clubs and charities if he secures a seat in May.
The 16 groups that would receive €1,000 annually over the five-year term if Noel is elected include the Irish Wheelchair Association, St Vincent de Paul, Garryowen Youth Club, Geraldines AFC, Granville Rangers, Fairview Rangers, Hyde Rangers, Janesboro FC, Weston Villa, Prospect Priory, Kennedy Park, Carew Park, Pike Rovers, Wembley Rovers, Hill Celtic and Southend.
“I know clubs are finding it hard to survive and I hope this gesture will help them in someway. Politicians are a shower of comedians. Most of them are retired and on big pensions and this is just a tommer to them,” Mr Hannan suggested.
He sees himself as a proud Limerick man and sports fan, soccer in particular being his big passion, and believes he brings something to the political forum that we don’t see too much of these days — honesty!
“My word is my bond and I’ll be honest with people. There’s more politicians going to funerals now than ever before. We haven’t seen them in five years and now they are out chasing hearses just looking for an opportunity to shake hands with people. They are a shower of bluffers,” he exclaimed.
