Galway West Constituency Profile: Everything you need to know
In Ireland, a general election is due on the predicted dates from mid-November to the end of March. Here is all you need to know about the Galway-West constituency.
There are five seats up for grabs in Galway West in the next general election. It spans the western half of County Galway in the west of Ireland, and includes Galway City, the Gaeltacht, Clifden, and a part of southern County Mayo.
Fine Gael
At their convention on the 19 July, under the supervision of MEP Maria Walsh, Minister Hildegarde Naughton, who has served as Government Chief Whip since June 2020, was elected as Fine Gael’s nomination alongside Senator Sean Kyne. Senator Kyne currently holds a seat in the 26th Seanad, and he was first elected to the Dáil in 2011.
Fianna Fáil
Gráinne Seoige is an Irish journalist, news anchor, and TV presenter from the Gaeltacht village of Spideal. In August 2024, she announced her intention to run for Fianna Fáil in the Galway West Constituency in the next general election. Councillor John Connolly, from Cappagh Road, has been a public representative since 2019 and was re-elected to Galway City Council in the local elections last June.
Sinn Féin
At the party convention on the 27 September, Mairéad Farrell was selected by the party to contest the next general election. She has been a TD since 2020 and was recently appointed chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
Green Party
Senator Pauline O’Reilly was elected as the candidate to run in Galway West at their convention on the 20 April. She was elected to the Seanad in 2020 and became Chair of the Green Party in 2021. She was also a European election candidate for Midlands North-West earlier this year.
Independent Ireland
Councillor Noel Thomas resigned from Fianna Fáil in May 2024 and decided to run as an independent candidate in upcoming elections. “The main parties have become detached from ordinary people,” Cllr Thomas said.
Aontú
Cormac O’Corcoráin, a native of Newcastle, was the candidate for Galway West in 2020 and will run again in the next general election.
Irish Freedom Party
Doran McMahon ran, earlier this year, for election to the Connemara South Local Electoral Area. He missed out on a County Council seat and will be hoping for a better performance in the General Election.
Independent/National Alliance
A.J. Cahill will be one of 11 candidates running for the Independent/National Alliance nationwide.
People Before Profit
Maisie McMaster will be running for a second time. She describes herself as an eco-socialist activist.
What are constituents most concerned about?
Speaking to Galway Pulse, Galway City resident and manager of Energize Gym, Noel Barrett, at the Galmont Hotel, said: “I think of the general elections in a way that it’s good when it happens, but not enough information is given till just now in October when letter boxes are filled with pamphlets.”
Furthermore, being a manager puts him in the middle-class bracket, making finances challenging as no extra assistance is given. There seem to be many concerns that the Government only help the ones on the lower and the higher ends of income brackets.
John Toolan, who is a worker for a charity organisation in Galway City, said: ”We need houses and accommodation for students and all the homeless.” Mr Toolan has worked in charity for many years, and the ordinary person has suffered a lot, especially with the pandemic and the following years. He also said: “I hope for change, but I am suspicious things might stay the same as before.”
Most people and students spoke to the left, concerned about the cost-of-living crisis that seems to continue without an end. People feel that they get some hope of lighter tariffs on electricity, but every time there is a break, the prices increase, too. The man in the street feels frustrated, especially with the lack of housing and the insatiable price for renting.
In addition, many locals spoke about long waiting lists for health care services and the lack of proper infrastructure and transport systems. Additional funding is required to build better schools and upgrade the current hospitals and availability of beds.
Even so, with many people needing hope for better times and dealing with high prices, there is a sentiment that a general election is long overdue.
