School teacher Fionán Bradley has been added to Fianna Fáil’s election ticket for the upcoming Council elections in Inishowen.
His nomination was confirmed at a selection meeting in Buncrana earlier this week by the party.
Bradley will be running to retain the seat currently held by outgoing Fianna Fáil Councillor Rena Donaghey, who announced her retirement in recent weeks.
He joins current Councillor Paul Canning on the Fianna Fáil South Inishowen ticket, with Martin McDermott looking to retain his seat on the North Inishowen ballot.
Speaking after his selection, Mr. Bradley said he was “very heartened” by the support he had received from party members.
Paying tribute to Cllr Donaghey, he said: “Rena has been involved in politics for 30 years. It’s only in the years after Rena retires that Donegal, Inishowen, and Buncrana will see the contribution she has made, and it really has been immense. If I am lucky enough to be elected on June 7th and manage to do one tenth of what Rena has done, that will be some volume of work.”
Mr. Bradley urged his Fianna Fáil colleagues to sell the party more when canvassing.
“We need to sell our achievements more. We have a minister here in the peninsula for the first time since the foundation of the state. The volume of money Minister McConalogue has brought into Inishowen for so many projects in Moville, Greencastle, Carndonagh, and Buncrana is phenomenal. That is a big selling point, and no other party in Inishowen has that,” he commented.
Encouraging those who will be out on the canvass with election candidates to listen more, he added: “Fianna Fáil’s election success always came from the fact that we listened to the voters. We genuinely had our ear to the ground, listened, and delivered what the people asked for.”
Mr Bradley also paid tribute to his wife, Carol, for her support.
“I am humbled and honoured by the support I have received tonight. I really hope I do all of you proud, and most importantly, and especially Rena, proud on election day. Please God we’ll hold the two seats,” he said.
