Former pop princess Sinéad a Number 1 hit with voters

A 32-year-old local election candidate who was once a pop sensation has a secret canvassing weapon — hordes of children.

They’re badgering their parents and just about everybody else to give Fine Gael’s Sinéad Sheppard a No 1 on May 23.

She became a household name 13 years ago with the Louis Walsh-managed group Six, but she has moved on since to become a successful businesswoman and local politician.

The married mother of a 10-month-old son runs her own dance studios in Cobh, Glanmire, and Midleton and has more than 350 young students who are unofficial canvassers.

She’s served as a town councillor in Cobh since 2009 and lost out by just 75 votes in the last county council elections. This time it looks very likely that she’ll make it to County Hall in the six-seater Cobh/ Glanmire constituency.

Sinéad will poll well in Cobh anyway, but it’s her connections in Glanmire which will swing it for her — she went to school there, husband Eamonn is from there, and one of her dance schools is there.

Yesterday she canvassed both towns where some people attacked Fine Gael on the Local Property Tax and water charges.

Martin O’Sullivan who drives the road train in Cobh mentioned both, but added that he’d still see her right on the day. “I’d give her a vote for her beauty alone,” he said.

But she’s obviously got brains too and used them to engage with the electorate. In Glanmire she spent some time with Heidi Robertson who said she didn’t know who to vote for. By the time Sinéad had finished Heidi admitted that while Fine Gael had got people’s backs up with new taxes “they had to do that to keep the country running”.

“She’s a young personable woman who seems to know what’s going on. I’ll give her a vote,” Heidi said.

Next she canvassed a retired doctor who she didn’t know. It turned out to be Norman Murphy, father of TD Dara — piece of cake so.

Gerdi Burke immediately remembered she was in Six, which elicited a slight cringe from Sinéad. Gerdi and husband Liam were worried about the water charges but by the time the conversation had finished they’d been won over.

“I feel I can balance family life, my business and council work. I have massive family support and I’ve worked hard for the last five years as a public representative,” Sinéad said.

As it used to say in the Colgate advert, there’s a certain “ring of confidence” about this woman who FG mentors believe will do the party proud.