Socialist Party announces replacement for Cllr Fiona Ryan on Cork City Council
Originally from Lisgoold in Co Cork but now living on North Main Street in Cork city centre, Brian McCarthy has been a member of the Socialist Party for the last 15 years.
The Socialist Party in Cork has announced the co-option of party member Brian McCarthy to Cork City Council following the resignation last month of Cllr Fiona Ryan.
Mr McCarthy, 35, will take up the seat she held at next Monday’s city council meeting, to represent the city’s north west ward.
Originally from Lisgoold in Co Cork but now living on North Main Street in Cork city centre, Mr McCarthy has been a member of the Socialist Party for the last 15 years.
He graduated with a degree in history and archaeology from UCC where he obtained a masters in museum studies and has worked as an archaeologist.
He was active in the campaign against water charges, in the campaign to secure the repeal of the eighth amendment, in the archaeology strikes of 2019 and was an active supporter of the Debenhams strike which began the following year.
“I got active in politics the year the banks crashed and everything that has happened since then confirms my belief in the need for socialist change,” he said.
“Working class people need a fightback on the housing crisis and the cost of living crisis and I hope to use the council position to support such a fightback.”
Socialist Party TD for Cork North Central Mick Barry, who has known Mr McCarthy for 15 years, said: “He is a Socialist in the fighting, campaigning tradition of Connolly and Larkin and a hard worker too. I look forward to working alongside him representing the people of the northside.”
His co-option follows Ms Ryan’s announcement early last month of her intention to resign her council seat. She attended her last city council meeting on May 8 last.
Announcing her decision, she said she had endured multiple surgeries in recent years that required a significant recovery period, and that was followed by a difficult pregnancy.
The realities now of parenting a young baby have presented “a real challenge” to her ability to fulfil the role of a councillor in the way that she wanted to, she said.
“Looking forward, I don’t see that changing in the short term, so I have taken the regrettable decision to resign my seat,” she said at the time.
Welcoming the co-option of Mr McCarthy, she said he, like her, will be one of the youngest councillors on Cork City Council.
“He is also a fellow renter. I think he will be a vocal advocate for young people and renters on the council. I also think he will speak out against injustices and inequality in the city,” she said.
