The Social Democrats will contest the upcoming by-elections in the constituencies of Cork North Central, Dublin Fingal and Dublin Mid-West
The party will tonight hold the first of three conventions, when Sinéad Halpin will be selected as its candidate for Cork North Central.
The other two Dáil candidates are Tracey Carey for Dublin Fingal and Anne-Marie McNally for Dublin Mid-West.
The party’s co-leaders Róisín Shortall TD and Catherine Murphy TD said:
“We are delighted to be putting forward three excellent by-election candidates. All three candidates represent a new generation of community activists who are stepping up to promote the Social Democrats’ vision for a fairer and more sustainable future for all.
“We know that they would make great public representatives for their constituencies and will work hard to hold the government to account when it comes to important issues like housing, health and the environment.”
Sinéad Halpin and Tracey Carey are first time General Election candidates. Anne Marie McNally contested the 2016 General Election for the Social Democrats.
The Social Democrats contested our first local elections in May 2019, trebling our number of councillors to 19 across eleven local authorities of Dublin City, South Dublin, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Cork, Fingal, Galway, Kildare, Limerick, Meath and Offaly and Wicklow.
Candidate Biographies:
Sinéad Halpin, Cork North Central
Sinéad is a mature student at UCC and a former peer educator and student activist. She has worked in various industries including renewable energies and technology. Sinéad studied Chemistry in CIT, where she was the Student Welfare Officer. She recently set up a local group to encourage parents and young children to socialise and get to know each other. A first time General Election candidate, Sinéad lives in Mayfield with her husband and two young children.
Tracey Carey, Dublin Fingal
Tracey has a professional interest in employment rights, support for working parents and affordable childcare. She is also a strong advocate for quality mental health services. Tracey currently manages employee benefits for a multi-national technology company. She has a BA in English and Film from UCD, and an MSc in Business and Management, specialising in HR. A first time General Election candidate, Tracey lives in Malahide, where she grew up and went to school.
Anne-Marie McNally, Dublin Mid-West
Anne-Marie is the Social Democrats’ Political Director and Spokesperson on Consumer Affairs. With over 15 years’ experience in political and public affairs, Anne-Marie helped found the SocDems because she believes the party has the ambition, political will and policies to deliver a better, fairer Ireland. Anne-Marie contested the 2016 General Election for the party, narrowly missing out on a seat and coming in 5th in the 4 seat constituency. A former community journalist and community development worker in Dublin, Anne-Marie has a degree in Accounting and Human Resources and a Masters in Political Communication from Dublin City University. Anne-Marie lives in Lucan with her husband and daughter.
ENDS
3rd October 2019