PEOPLE Before Profit mayoral candidate for Limerick, Ruairí Fahy, has called on Labour’s Conor Sheehan to clarify comments reported in the Irish Times.
Mr Fahy raised concerns that Cllr Sheehan’s comments “appear to be painting whole communities of Limerick with one brush, implying swathes of his constituents are ignorant, unthinking, and desensitised to violence”.
The Labour Party councillor for Limerick City North was reported in the Irish Times explaining his proposed canvassing strategy for the upcoming local elections to other Labour members at a party event.
“In it he referred to some areas as ‘tumbleweed territory’ that should not be priority for canvassing because the people there are ‘so loyal to one particular party that the leader of that party could come into their house and shoot their father and they’d still vote for that particular party’,” Mr Fahy complained.
The PBP candidate accused Cllr Sheehan of “seeming to be stigmatising and sneering at” communities where Labour is unpopular.
“Cllr Sheehan should clarify what areas he was talking about here or what he meant by this. Of course every party and candidate have core areas of support, and weaker areas, but that’s no excuse to talk so derisively about areas where you get lower votes.”
He called on Cllr Sheehan to reflect “on what it is his party did in power that made them so reviled in these areas”.
In response, Labour Party councillor Conor Sheehan said that he “would advise any candidate standing for election to focus on their own campaign instead of slinging mud at other candidates”.
“The people of Limerick City North know me and they know my record of delivery – whether it be the refurbishment of the playground on Clare Street, the campaign for a playground in Corbally, improved footpaths and public amenities, and the campaigns I have been involved with in terms of stopping RTÉ pulling Lyric FM out of Limerick, standing up for the Rehab workers, or my volunteering work with various initiatives.”
The Labour councillor hit back that “election campaigns are filled with Johnny Come Latelys who arrive on promising the sun, moon, and stars and depart soon afterwards”.
“I would kindly suggest that this candidate might focus on what he can offer the electorate before attacking those of us who are working for the betterment of Limerick.
“If this individual had even the faintest clue about electoral politics, he would know that I received an endorsement from right across the electoral area in 2019. I am proud to represent everyone in this fantastic electoral area and I have worked with groups and individuals right across the communities that make up Limerick City North.”
“If he is so concerned about the Labour conference, I can send him an application form in the post,” he concluded.
