General Election 2024: Coveney and McGrath out of Cork South Central, who will be in?

CORK South Central is to welcome at least three new TDs, as the constituency increases to a five-seater and two high-profile former government ministers do not seek re-election.

Twelve electoral divisions, including Bishopstown, have been moved from North Central to South Central, which consists of Cork city areas south of the river Lee, as well as most of Carrigaline, including Ringaskiddy and age West.

There will be 22 candidates on the ballot and just two incumbents: The Echo asked all of them to name the biggest problem in Cork South Central.

Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath and Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney will not stand, but Fianna Fáil leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin will, as will Sinn Féin’s Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, who beat out the three big names to top the poll in 2020.

Fianna Fáíl

Tánaiste Micheál Martin was first elected to the Dáil in 1989, and has been successful in every election since. He has two running mates hoping to pick up the seat vacated by McGrath, who has been appointed EU commissioner designate.

Michael’s brother, Seamus McGrath, co-opted onto Cork County Council in 2007 to replace Michael when he was elected to the Dáil, has been returned for every local election since in Carrigaline. In June, he received 5,191 first-preference votes, smashing the quota of 2,057 and securing more votes than any other councillor in the country.

He told The Echo: “I am on the doors for many weeks now and, undoubtedly, the housing-and-accommodation crisis is a significant issue for many voters.

“We need to ramp up the supply of properties, both new builds and refurbished/repurposed buildings. We also need to drastically increase the supply of affordable and cost-rental housing.

“Many other issues are coming up frequently, such as safety in the city centre, poor public transport, unacceptable services for special-needs children, and the whole area of childcare.”

Also on the Fianna Fáil ticket is Margaret Kenneally, who lives in Bishopstown and works as the financial controller for her family’s tourism-related businesses in Cork and holds a degree in government and public policy. She said: “The biggest problem facing Cork South Central is housing. The availability and affordability of housing has a knock-on effect on a number of other key issues.

“To address the difficulties, we need more people — more doctors, teachers, gardaí, childcare professionals, tradespeople — they all need somewhere to live, so housing has to be the number-one priority for the next government.”

Sinn Féin

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on social protection, was first elected to the Dáil in 2016, and lives in Togher, where he grew up, with his wife and three children.

He said: “Our city has huge potential, provided we have a government that believes in that potential.

“If re-elected, I push to implement our plan ‘A Vision for Cork’, that will ensure we bring life back into all parts of our city, enough gardaí on the street, deliver actually affordable housing, that ensures we have public transport we can rely upon all the time.

“We also need to have the ambition to invest in the industries that will deliver jobs for Cork’s future, including in energy and renewables.” 

He is hoping to bring a running mate in with him as the party had just one candidate in 2020 in the constituency.

Michelle Cowhey Shahid, a mother of three, lives in Douglas, where she is involved in the camogie club and community events group.

She said: “Whether it’s so-called affordable housing in Grange selling for up to €390,000, runaway rents in Rochestown of €3,000 a month, or, up until very recently, no limits whatsoever on rent increases for tenants in Crosshaven, Ballygarvan, and parts of Carrigaline, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have failed, and will continue to fail, ordinary workers and families in Cork on housing.

“I regularly meet young people who cannot afford to buy or rent, as well as parents who are worried about their young adult children who are still at home,” she said. “Only a Sinn Féin government will bring home ownership back into the reach of working people in Cork.”

Fine Gael

As Simon Coveney vacates his seat, three Fine Gael hopefuls are vying to snap it up: When the party was last a five-seater, in 2011, the party occupied two of the seats.

Shane O’Callaghan, the party’s top choice at an internal selection convention, was first elected to the South Central ward of Cork City Council in 2019, and topped the poll again this June.

A barrister and criminal prosecutor, he lives in Douglas with his wife and three children.

He told The Echo: “The decline of Cork city centre is a huge problem. The rise in antisocial behaviour and open drug use has made many feel unsafe, even during daylight hours. This is having a hugely negative impact on city centre businesses. A zero-tolerance approach is necessary to reclaim Cork city centre for its residents and visitors.

“The starting point to tackle this should involve more resources and better working conditions for gardaí, more s for victims, and much longer sentences for offenders, particularly violent and repeat offenders.”

Jerry Buttimer, who was elected to the Dáil in 2011, but has failed to retain and reclaim the seat since the fifth seat was removed, was parachuted onto the ticket by the party in September.

A former teacher, councillor, TD, and current senator, Mr Buttimer said: “Like us all, I want to make our city and communities the best they can be.

“The biggest challenges in Cork are the need for more housing, increased childcare places, more gardaí on our streets, making our city centre safer, better access to healthcare, special education, and more reliable, accessible public transport.”

The third candidate for the party is Úna McCarthy, who was selected following a directorate that one candidate must be from Coveney’s area of Carrigaline.

Ms McCarthy grew up in Rochestown, spent 20 years teaching in age West, and now lives in Carrigaline.

She ed Cork County Council in October 2023, when she was co-opted on, and retained her seat in 2024.

She hopes to work to provide: “Increased suitable housing options for all, more childcare places, and better childcare s for young families.”

Also, “improved services and reduced waiting times for those in need of specialist intellectual, physical, and mental-health , greater sports and recreational facilities for all, and improved access to services and s for older generations to continue living safely and well at home."

Other parties

Labour held a seat in Cork South Central from 1981 to 1997 and again from 2007 to 2016. The party is hoping to regain this seat by running councillor Laura Harmon, who was first elected to the council’s City South West area in June.

Ms Harmon, a board member of Threshold Housing, a chief executive in higher education, and a former president of the Union of Students, said: “Housing, public transport, and infrastructure are key issues for Cork South Central.

“I will be a strong advocate in the Dáil on housing and revitalising derelict and vacant properties. The housing shortage is driving key workers away, and I often meet families with three generations under one roof, while people try to save for a home. If younger generations can’t afford housing, we risk a future where seniors are stuck renting.

“Cork urgently needs a reliable public transport system. Buses must run on time, with enough drivers to cover all routes. Cork has been overlooked too long. Securing our light-rail system in the next government term and increasing funding for road and footpath repairs must be top priorities.”

The Social Democrats are also running a first-time councillor, Padraig Rice. The youngest member of Cork City Council, Mr Rice studied law at University College Cork and has a master’s in public policy from the University of Oxford. He worked in the Oireachtas for four years, with both a TD and a senator, and now works as a policy and research manager with a national charity.

Mr Rice said: “Housing is the biggest issue. Rents in Cork are unaffordable, and house prices are far too high for people on average incomes.

“Over 14,000 people are in homeless emergency accommodation. This is causing huge hardship. On top of this, we have far too many people living in cramped and overcrowded conditions.

“We need better protections for renters and far more houses to be built, but not any kind of housing: We need more affordable homes. We need at least 50,000 new homes per year. However, last year, just over 35,500 were built.”

Dr Monica Oikeh is running for the Green Party, who held a seat in the constituency from 2002 to 2007, when Lord Mayor Dan Boyle was elected. Dr Oikeh, a GP in Douglas and Carrigaline and regular guest speaker on television and radio, giving evidence-based medical advice, said: “Affordable housing remains one of our biggest challenges.”

She added: “In my experience, as a GP in Carrigaline and Douglas, there is an urgent need to address healthcare, childcare, and housing. These are three key issues for my constituents. We need healthcare and childcare that is accessible and affordable.

“I also want to seek more investment in public transport: More drivers, more routes, and more frequency. It has to become a much better and more frequent service for everyone.”

Shane Laird, who contested the local elections for People Before Profit, is standing for the party again. He has been a political activist since attending protests against the Iraq War with his parents and has campaigned for gay marriage, to protect workers’ rights, fight the rising cost of living, and protect public spaces.

He said: “The biggest problem faced by the residents of Cork South Central is the out-of-control housing crisis.

“A generation of young people are trapped living with their parents or leaving the country due to sky-high rents. The list for social housing has over 58,000 people and many are waiting for years.

“What we need is an emergency housing programme, led by a State construction company to provide social and affordable housing to the people who need it. I would also fight for strict rent controls fixed to people’s income, and to cap mortgage interest payments at 3%.”

Former councillor Lorna Bogue, of Rabharta, an economist who lost her seat in the last local elections, but narrowly missed out on being elected to the 2020 Dáil, placing fifth, is to run again.

She told The Echo: “Rents in Cork are rising higher than any other city in Ireland. Meanwhile, properties in the city centre remain vacant and derelict, waiting for a developer to come and invest in more unaffordable housing.

“Homelessness is also rising in the city and the services homeless people rely on are stretched. Workers and carers need to have their housing costs alleviated and access to better housing where they want to live. Rent controls are a key part of my party’s programme.”

Veronica Houlihan, of Independent Ireland, is a first-time candidate, a former director of nursing, who has worked in CUH, Mater Private, and Mercy Hospital emergency.

She said: “I am aware of the healthcare challenges, and intend to the medical profession in ensuring the embargo is lifted immediately, which is crippling our health care, and, additionally, promoting mental health to make it more inclusive within healthcare system.

“My goal is to deliver real solutions in housing, health, immigration, and cost of living, as well as additional teachers and facilities for special-needs children,” she added.

Independent Ireland has also added a second candidate, Valerie Ward, partner of Cork South West TD and party leader Michael Collins, who has worked as a parliamentary assistant for him.

Anna Daly, who contested the last general election as well as the last two local elections unsuccessfully, is running for Aontú. Ted Neville, who has been running in elections for 20 years without receiving more than 1.5% of the vote, will run as a member of the newly-formed National Alliance grouping.

Independents

A number of Independent candidates are running in Cork South Central, including former councillor Mick Finn. Mr Finn did not run in the last local elections, but topped the poll in 2014 and 2019, and was elected, unopposed, as the first Independent lord mayor of Cork for 70 years, in 2019. He said the biggest problem in the constituency is “the lack of housing options for a range of people. Those seeking social, rental, or affordable is the major issue.

“Knock-on effects, such as increased emigration of young people, are having impacts on retail, service, and construction industry, and on employees and numbers in the Defence Forces, HSE, and Gardaí.

“Lack of gardaí is, in turn, causing policing and justice issues in the heart of Cork South Central,” he added, describing the situation as “a big mess”.

Paudie Dineen, who first secured a council seat in 2014, is contesting his second general election. Due to recent prostate-cancer surgery, he is unable to do door-to-door canvassing and apologises to constituents.

He said that there are many issues, but “the biggest problem that is facing Cork South Central at the moment, and on a daily basis, is public transport, including BusConnects and traffic congestion”.

“Douglas East and West, Frankfield/Grange, the Magic Roundabout/Kinsale Road, South Link/N40 and Mahon all have daily traffic issues and positive interventions and proactive measures are needed.”

Graham de Barra, who ran in the European elections, is also running as an Independent. He has a background in human-rights law and his campaign advocates for real neutrality, community wellbeing, and the ending of corruption, with a focus on solutions that put people’s needs above profit-driven agendas.

He said: “The biggest issue facing Cork South Central is the cost of living. Rising rents and inflation are out of control, while workers who pay the most are struggling to make ends meet.

“Immediate action is needed to make bills affordable, with increased s for mental-health and harm-reduction services.”

Tony Field, who got 86 votes in the local elections when he ran on a platform of giving emergency services workers a free holiday to Lanzarote, as well as bringing back the death penalty, will be running as an Independent.

John O’Leary will also be campaigning as an Independent. He is also running in Cork South West and North West.