Cork North East LEA

Mandy O’Leary Hegarty

Sinn Féin

1. With housing being the number one priority in the North East LEA, it is important that public infrastructure and amenities need to match up for communities to thrive.

Local and public infrastructure remains a deep concern. Our bus services and local infrastructure is currently not fit to cater for our growing needs as a community. We need sustainable solutions that will address the punctuality and reliability issues of bus routes.

In rural areas like Upper Glanmire and Kilcully who do not have a bus route, we need certainty, not promises of a new service hanging in the air!Footpaths, safe pedestrian crossing, traffic calming and road connectivity need to be a priority for the new council term especially in areas like Banduff/ Glanmire and Kilcully.

2. Margaret Buckley, the first female Sinn Féin president. Born in Cork in 1879. She was a teacher and later became politically active through her involvement with the Cork Celtic Literary society which Terence MacSwiney set up. Margaret was a trailblazer, an organiser and trade union activist campaigning for fairer wages and conditions for women. She was a champion for women's rights and inclusion in society.

Christa Daley

Sinn Féin

1. Housing and related problems. Boarded up houses need to be repaired rapidly to address the housing shortage. The council’s housing maintenance and repairs programme needs to be preventative in nature. Examples of issues include the state of footpaths, with elderly people or those who are vision impaired at risk of a fall and ending up in already overcrowded hospitals on trolleys. The lack of insulation in some homes leads to mould and respiratory problems. Early intervention to address these issues would prevent even greater problems arising. We need more amenities in the area too including a community centre in Ballyvolane for the growing community there.

2. Countess Markievicz. She blazed a trail in politics for women, nationally and internationally. Equality was at the heart of everything she did. As an Irish Republican she was committed to workers’ rights. A leader in the 1916 Rising fighting for Irish freedom and equality for all our citizens. I consider her the perfect role model.

Cllr Oliver Moran

Green Party

1. Housing and public transport are two major issues for people living in the North East.

Cork City Council is providing grants of up to €75,000 to take homes out of dereliction and building 1,300 new homes every year. That has to be expanded even more, including new types of housing like cost-rental and affordable housing. The state needs to take even more of a lead in the sector because relying on the 'market' alone isn't working.

There needs to be a bottom-up transformation of the transport system in the city, prioritising public transport. It's a basic function of a city to provide a public transport system that people can rely on. The BusConnects plan needs to be accelerated so that people feel confident taking public transport to work or school and know that they'll be back home on time in the evening.

2. I don't believe in heroising people but some people who inspire me and can be connected (very loosely) to Cork City Council are Harvey Milk, the assassinated supervisor of our sister city of San Francisco, and Frederick Douglass the escaped American slave, who visited here in 1845, as well as Mary Robinson who is leading in the discussion of the climate emergency.

Shane Ryan

Fianna Fáil

1. The main issue that needs to be addresses is youth services. As a secondary school teacher, the needs of our young people are very important to me. In my opinion community centres are needed in both Ballyvolane & Glanmire to act as safe spaces for teenagers in our community so that they feel supported in our community. Sport clubs & other societies that provide an outlet for young people must equally be supported as much as possible. This is crucial to ensure that they can reach their potential.

2. My role model is Jack Lynch. Jack was a true man of the people and believed in community. Jack Lynch was often known as ‘Honest Jack’ and if elected that is what people will find in me, someone who is upfront, down to earth and who deals in facts.

Cllr John Maher

The Labour Party

1. All types of housing - affordable, public housing, right size housing & affordable rents. A big local issue is local infrastructure, not enough parks, walks, playgrounds, footpaths & creating a safe environment in Cork city.

2. John Hume was a politician that worked with others, representing people and was always motivated by making things better for everyone. Whether it was setting up the credit unions, campaigning for better housing and ultimately delivering a peace deal for Ireland. His ability to compromise, listen, show compassion are integral for any political representative. He believed in fairness, equality & social justice & these are grounded in anything that I do in politics. John always did the right thing, even when it may not have been popular to do so.

Imelda Daly

Fine Gael

1. The main issue that needs to be addressed in my local area are facilities for the community. We need more recreational spaces, riverbank walkways, parks, a skate park etc. We also need a functioning and accessible community centre for all, our current community centre in Riverstown is not fit for purpose. Glanmire is seriously lacking in facilities-it’s just more and more housing estates and not much else. We need a primary health care centre as all the GPs in our area are full. Sporting facilities are at capacity with Glanmire Ladies Football Club having no home grounds.

2. My political role model is Constance Markievicz. She was a trailblazer for women and men alike. She was a revolutionary, a nationalist at a time of oppression, a suffragette and a socialist. She had no fear and was an integral part of the 1916 Rising. She stood up for what she believed in in a male dominated, patriarchal society. She served as a TD for Dublin South from 1918-1922. We need more women in politics.

Sinéad Halpin

Social Democrats

1. Housing and active travel. There's a huge issue with overcrowding in this area along with vacancy and dereliction. The most recent census showed that there is a huge number of households in CCNE dependent on public transport, walking and cycling, yet this is not being prioritised.

2. Michael D. Higgins.

Cllr Ken O’Flynn

Independent Ireland

1. The main issues that need to be addressed in the area include: Immigration, water quality, housing, roads and footpaths, lack of facilities for children, public realm improvements, need for parks in Mayfield and Glanmire, slowing down traffic on Old Whitechurch Road, Kilcully, and Whitecross. These concerns have consistently come up during door-to-door interactions with residents.

2. Nelson Mandela.

Anita Ward

The Irish People

1. Main issue is housing (social and affordable) too many vacant houses, it’s crazy the amount I've come across canvassing with the thousands on the waiting lists, we could employ lads that are in need of work to the Cork City Council who have trades in these areas to help get these up and running ASAP.

2) Countess Markievicz, Cumann na nBan. She was a nationalist, a political revolutionary and first woman elected in Westminster Parliament. In 1908, she became actively involved in nationalist politics in Ireland. She joined Sinn Féin and Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland), a revolutionary women's movement. She was jailed in 1911 for speaking at an IRB demonstration attended by 30,000 people, protesting George V's visit to Ireland. She joined James Connolly's socialist Irish Citizen Army. She took part in 1916 rising, converted to Catholicism 1917, the list goes on...

Edith Busteed

People Before Profit-Solidarity

1. Housing: The latest report from Daft.ie shows that those in the rental market are facing some of the highest rates in the EU! Young people are being forced to emigrate or stay living with their parents well into their thirties.

At the same time, there are an estimated 17,000 empty or derelict housing units in Cork. The council is failing to collect levies from vacant property owners. The wealth and resources exist to ensure homes for all - the two richest people in Ireland have more wealth than 50% of the population. We need to tackle dereliction, enforce the vacant site levies and use the wealth to build public homes on public land.

2. Ruth Coppinger - former TD for The Socialist Party and one of the founding members of Rosa - Socialist Feminist Movement. Ruth has been continuously fighting for womens' rights and the rights of all those oppressed by the capitalist system. She has been at the forefront fighting for abortion rights, disability rights and carers rights in Ireland. As a socialist feminist, Ruth has used her public position to highlight often invisible issues that primarily impact women's lives such as femicide and gender-based violence. I have been inspired by her to be a voice for working class and marginalised women whose voices are silenced and often erased from history.

Martin Condon

Non Party/Independent

1. Anti social behaviour/community policing has been the main issue that has been highlighted to me. People are not happy with garda response times and they believe the problem of anti social behaviour is a growing due to a lack of community policing. I believe the way in which our gardaí works needs to change if we are to see an improvement in community policing. After I highlight to people the massive amount of garda resources wasted on enforcing drug prohibition, they agree that a decriminalisation of the drug user & a regulation of the drug supply are sensible approaches that would free up a lot of garda resources. Many of the constituents I've spoke to about this have also expressed an explicit interest in cannabis legalisation and can’t understand why this particular ‘drug' is still illegal.

2. I would have to pick 2 of the 10 men who laid down their lives for the betterment of Ireland - Bobby Sands and Kieran Doherty. Both of these men were elected while on huger strike in 1981 and they exemplify remarkable dedication, resilience and commitment to their cause. They both stood firm in their beliefs despite extreme personal sacrifice, demonstrating the importance of staying true to one's principles. Their willingness to endure immense hardship for their community's rights underscores the power of determination and perseverance in leadership.