Young, ambitious, committed: Five candidates under 25 on why they are running for election

While many will not be elected, these hopefuls act as an inspiration, writes Tadgh McNally

Green Party local election candidate Aisling Maloney who will run in the Roscrea/Templemore constituency. Picture: Dan Linehan

Imagine you’re 23 again. You’re just out of college or have just finished an apprenticeship. You’re taking the first steps into a career you’ve spent years working towards. You might be taking time out to go travelling, or starting a new relationship.

For most people in this age cohort, while politics might still be an important factor in their lives, they are certainly not planning to stick their faces up on plastic posters and litter them across lampposts in towns and cities around the country.

But for some young people, the foray into the political arena is what they’ve thought of doing for years and next month's local elections is their first chance to make an impact.

Political activism in young people is nothing new. It has driven campaigns to overwhelming success in recent years, like the 2015 marriage equality referendum that legalised same-sex marriage.

It can also be seen in recent weeks, following the success of Trinity College Dublin Students' Union in pressuring the college to divest from Israeli companies.

However, this political activity does not always translate to political candidacy. This can be seen in the comparison between the total number of young candidates running, and the overall number of candidates in races across the country.

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Analysis carried out by Maynooth University lecturer and election guru, Adrian Kavanagh, estimates that there are more than 80 candidates running in the local elections between the age of 18 and 29, with even more running who are under 35.

Compare this with the over 2,000 people running in the locals, and it becomes obvious that younger people are going to be massively underrepresented in councils across the country once polls do close.

While many of these young candidates may not end up being elected, they must be commended for being bold enough to put themselves forward to the electorate. Those who do end up on councils could go further and act as the inspiration for future young politicos.

RACHEL HARTIGAN 

It might be surprising for someone in their early 20s to be running for Fianna Fáil, especially if they don't come from a political family.

But 22-year-old Clare native Rachel Hartigan, took a shine to Micheál Martin's party in college due to the “common decency” of the Soldiers of Destiny and an inclusive youth wing.

She admits that many people on the doors are often curious about her political affiliations, with many raising the perception that Fianna Fáil has not traditionally been seen as a young person’s party.

“It’s a question that I get all the time and I think people are genuinely curious. They don’t always equate Fianna Fáil with a young person’s party,” she says.

Hartigan says that she doesn't hail from a political family, but took her own decision about party affiliation at UL, saying that Fianna Fáil was “supportive and inclusive” and aligned with her own views.

Rachel Hartigan (centre), speaking to Shannon Banks resident Mary Lownes (left) while canvassing with Cathal Crowe TD. Picture: Eamon Ward

She points to the party’s policies on issues like housing and health, particularly highlighting the move toward free contraception for women. She also raises the reductions in fees for universities and the cut in public transport fares as achievements for the party.

Put to her that these were both carried out by a Fine Gael and Green minister respectively, Ms Hartigan says she doesn't believe these policies could be claimed by just one person.

“Especially in a coalition, I don’t think that it ever comes from one party in particular,” she says.

Hartigan admits that she does worry about the safety of women politicians, but was still determined to run and refused to shy away from politics.

“I mean, Holly Cairn’s had to close her constituency office due to safety concerns and that is very, very alarming," she says adding that “sexism and misogyny is alive and well”.

“While I do have to factor it in and I do worry about it, I don’t think the answer is necessarily to shy away.” But rather than putting her off, it “inspires” her to instead step forward.

We need to see more women using their voice and I never think the answer is to just stay quiet. You’re basically giving them what they want.

“They don’t want to hear women, they don’t want to hear from strong women.” But her political priorities? Hartigan says that as it's a local election, local issues must be to the fore.

This includes dealing with road and footpath improvements, which Hartigan says can make a “massive impact” on people’s lives.

Her mother has always held a mantra of voting for the person rather than the party — you’d have to imagine that’s at least one vote in the bag.

LUKE CORKERY 

Luke Corkery, a self-described “passionate centrist”, is determined to not only run for Fine Gael in Swords, but press for delivery of the Dublin metro.

“Public transport definitely is my obsession, specialist subject being Metrolink," the 22-year-old says.

Corkery is critical of “southside politicians” who want to see Metrolink scrapped, saying the project is “absolutely worth it and there are 50,000 people who would back me up there”.

He said that while there is some bias as he is a Fine Gaeler, he admits to being annoyed at “pretty much any minister” who has let Metrolink slide.

Corkery himself has been involved in the party for years, having first joined the youth branch at 15.

He first took an interest in politics at the 2011 general election when he was nine-years old, taking the time to write individual profiles on candidates seeking election.

Fine Gael local election candidate for Swords, Luke Corkery, admits that with Fine Gael being a broad church, he is on the left wing of the party. Photo: Gareth Chaney

“I don’t know why, it just kind of sparked an interest,” he said, but after reading up on parties in his teenage years, he opted for Fine Gael through some of the people coming up at that time.

“At the time, you had a lot of liberal minds and centrist voices and youth up-and-coming. You know, Simon Harris, Paschal Donohoe, Leo Varadkar even,” Corkery says.

His first campaign came in 2018 with the abortion referendum, where he canvassed and campaigned for Repeal, before getting involved in DCU Young Fine Gael while he was in college.

Describing his own political beliefs, Corkery says he is a “passionate centrist” and he believes it is important to be pragmatic in politics.

“I’m someone who likes to take a bit from each side. You do need to be pragmatic in politics, that’s really important and I think it’s as important in local government as it is in national government,” he said.

However, he admits that with Fine Gael being a broad church, Corkery is on the left wing of the party.

On his own priorities if elected, he will be focused on both housing and local infrastructure in Swords.

One “big grievance” that he has seen is around the lack of a distributor road for Swords, which he says would take traffic out of the main town similar to a bypass, while the area waits for Metrolink.

Whether or not he is elected at the upcoming election, Corkery will remain disappointed for the time being as the long, long wait for the Dublin metro continues at least into the next decade.

JAMES STOKES 

For an 18-year-old candidate to be talked about as a future TD, you can be sure they’re going places.

Not only has James Stokes been singled out for praise by Mary Lou McDonald at a recent Sinn Féin event, he is also on the radar of a senior Fine Gael cabinet minister who believes James Stokes is one to watch.

The Traveller activist, who got his start in politics campaigning on period poverty in school, is one of the youngest candidates in the upcoming local elections.

Stokes, a Sinn Féin candidate for the Newbridge electoral area, is seeking to take a seat back for the party in the area after five years without SF representation.

Stokes is currently studying to become a primary teacher, while also working with Traveller children to support them remaining in education.

He says that while he didn’t mean to get into politics, it was something that was always around him growing up due to his grandfather’s role as a Traveller activist.

“He didn’t care for politics or anything like that, but he was a Traveller activist and he always just said what he believed and called out racism and discrimination against Travellers,” Stokes says of his grandfather.

“It was because of my granddad’s activism that made me think of activism. So then I went and became a youth activist, I became a Traveller activist.”

During his time as a youth activist, Stokes was involved in his secondary school’s student council, where he brought forward proposals to deal with period poverty. This campaign saw free period products rolled out across the school shortly after its inception.

“We brought that in. We said, look, students need these things. We shouldn’t let it be a barrier for them accessing their education,” Stokes says.

Recent campaigns he’s been involved in have been about improving access to education, including one to improve public transport links between Newbridge and Maynooth University for college students.

James Stokes, 18, from Newbridge, Co Kildare is a Sinn Fein candidate in the upcoming local elections as well as being singled out as one to watch by a Fine Gael minister. Photo: Moya Nolan

“Right now, there’s no direct public service but there is a private service, but the times just weren’t working for students and the prices weren’t working for students either,” Stokes says.

He worked on a petition and gathered over 560 signatures, before sending it off to both Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Kildare County Council. However, Ryan did not respond, while the council rejected the proposal.

“It made young people feel ignored,” Stokes says.

Stokes says he is receiving a positive response on the doors, claiming that the public are interested in seeing different perspectives within a council chamber.

“People like the idea of different perspectives being seen in a council chamber and in local government. 

People like that an 18-year-old, like their children or grandchildren, will have a part in the decision-making process.

On young people getting involved in politics, Stokes is critical of the system which he believes was not designed for them.

“Someone said, ‘come back when you’re 30, when you have a family, when you’ve worked a job. The reality is, we already have enough politicians who are 30 or over, with families, who’ve worked wherever they’ve worked.” 

With June 7 set to be the first steps of his burgeoning political career, you get the sense that Stokes doesn’t plan on stopping at Kildare council, but might be eyeing up Kildare Street in the future.

AISLING MALONEY 

When Aisling Maloney decided to run for the Green Party, even her own father initially questioned why she might stand.

For a young Green in Tipperary, it may be somewhat difficult to break through existing stereotypes about the party’s stance on rural Ireland.

She comes from a farming background,  and her dad was skeptical about her choice.

“He was like, ‘the Green Party’? Really?” the 21-year-old UCD student said.

But she maintains that the Green Party has been instrumental in improving life in rural Ireland, while also admitting that there is always a challenge in being the smallest party in a coalition.

Green Party local election candidate, Aisling Maloney, rejects any assertions that the Green Party is anti-rural. Picture: Dan Linehan

“It’s never easy being the minority party in Government, but I think what the Greens have done in terms of rural public transport and just to improve life in rural areas as well, it’s been great,” Maloney said.

Asked about how they have improved services, Maloney said that her biggest challenge while growing up was in the lack of public transport.

“When I was going to secondary school, I’d have to get a lift into town and then get a private bus to my secondary school,” Maloney says.

“But over the last few years, you’re seeing more of an increase of public transport routes. You’re seeing different towns be more connected to each other. You can actually visit other places without having to rely on cars or lifts, especially if you can’t drive yourself.” 

On her own political journey, Maloney said that she has always been interested in environmental activism, having been involved in the Green Schools programme and then becoming a climate ambassador with An Táisce.

“Since coming to college, moving up to Dublin, I got more attracted to the party itself,” she said, adding that she received supports from within the Greens.

However, Maloney admits that she only became a member of the party in recent months, after she was offered the chance to run in the local election.

She rejects any assertions that the Green Party is anti-rural, saying that she grew up hearing that from people.

Her once-skeptical father is now among her “great support network”, which is what she hopes will carry her through the weeks-long election campaign.

However, she will have to fight long and hard to break through the barriers in Roscrea-Templemore to clinch the Greens first seat on Tipperary County Council.

EOGHAN KENNY 

For Eoghan Kenny and his friends, water charges are far from their minds when they think about the Labour Party.

The 24-year-old Mallow councillor was only 11 when the controversial proposal was brought forward by the Fine Gael-Labour coalition, but when asked, he points to his party bringing the country out of economic turmoil.

Kenny argues that, while the party remains “branded” by the scar of water charges, Labour has moved beyond their most recent spell in government and younger voters recognise this.

“People still talk about, to this day, water charges. We get branded with that idea of water charges, but that was only a very slight thing in a very large government and a very large amount of time for things that were done,” Kenny says.

“People in my generation now — I’m only 24 — you know, 24-year-olds in this country won’t remember water charges as something to describe the Labour Party by.

“If I asked my friends about water charges, they wouldn’t instantly say ‘oh the Labour Party’.” On the 2011-16 Government, Kenny says his party had inherited a country that had been “ruined financially”.

Eoghan Kenny (centre) who was co-opted onto the council to replace James Kennedy (left) after he stepped down in February, canvassing with party supporter Tom O'Neill. Kenny hopes that all voters can look beyond the past and see him as the future of the party. Picture: Larry Cummins

“We came out of Government in 2016, economically in a good state. I suppose, naturally enough being the smaller party in Government where you’re going to have to increase taxes, decrease expenditure, you’re going to get the brunt of the backlash,” Kenny says.

On his own political priorities, Kenny identifies the ongoing housing crisis as the “generational issue”, particularly for people his own age.

“People of my generation cannot get access to housing. We cannot get access to housing in our own localities. We can’t build houses in our own localities. We can’t rent houses, because the wages we’re on do not fit the bill for extortionate rent prices."

Kenny admits that his family and friends do have concerns about him being a public figure, but that particularly his grandmother — who he has lived with since he was 10 — is “fearful” about people getting angry with him over his work as a councillor.

“They’re just fearful, like any other family member would be, that you’re in the public eye now. Fearful of the fact that you might knock on a door one day, and they might be with you, and you get a lambasting off a constituent about work you’re doing or not doing,” he says.

With Mallow remaining as a bastion of Labour support in Cork, Kenny hopes that all voters can look beyond the past and see him as the future of the party.