COUNCILLORS Marian Hurley and Michael Sheahan, along with first-time candidate Michael Murphy, were selected at the first of Fine Gael’s local election conventions this week.
Held at the Castletroy Park Hotel this Monday, the convention to select candidates for the 2019 Local Elections in The Limerick City East electoral area, was chaired by Cllr Gerard Mitchell. Following on a directive from the Fine Gael Executive Council, three candidates were selected to contest the elections.
First-time candidate Michael Murphy, a long time member of Fine Gael, was one of the three selected candidates. The Castleconnell native previously worked with An Post while farming part-time, and is now employed by Rehabilitation Care Group looking after young adults with special needs.
As chairman of the newly reconstituted Castleconnell/Montpelier Fine Gael branch and an aspiring local representative, Michael is actively involved in practically every community enterprise and parish organisation.
He is chairman of the Local Employment Management Committee, which employs 28 people, a member of the local group proposing a new Greenway and is involved in the Castleconnell Tidy Town’s Committee. He is also strongly rooted in the GAA community and is vice-chairman of the Ahane GAA Club.
Fine Gael councillors for Limerick City East, Marian Hurley and Michael Sheahan, both from Castletroy, were also added to the ticket.
Ms Hurley, a full-time councillor in the newly merged City and County Council since 2014 and Deputy Mayor for Limerick City and County Council for 2017/18, firmly believes that councillors are “the eyes and ears of the community”.
As a supporter of the Arts, she sits on the Council’s Cultural Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) and is a founder member and current chair of the Kilmurry Arts and Heritage Centre in Castletroy. She also chairs the Council’s Community Leisure and Emergency Services SPC.
Michael Sheahan was first elected to the local authority in 2009. Appointed Limerick’s first Metropolitan District Mayor in 2014, he has been 14 years involved with the Community Games and is now development officer for Limerick East and South.
As a former principal of Monaleen National School, he is committed to providing all citizens within his electoral area with the chance to have a second chance at meaningful education and personal development, which includes providing opportunities for enhanced commercial development.
Senator Kieran O’Donnell in his address to the convention reiterated his often expressed desire that Limerick aspire to be the second city in Ireland after Dublin within the next 25 years.
