Four New Offaly Fianna Fáil Candidates Selected To Run In Local Elections

Two current councillors will not be contesting.

Four new Fianna Fáil candidates have been selected to run for the Offaly local elections in 2024, for Birr, Edenderry and Tullamore.

Three women will be running for local election, currently, there are no female Fianna Fáil councillors sitting for Offaly County Council.

Six current councillors were also chosen to contest in the elections.

Eamon Dooley and Danny Owens will not be contesting in the elections.

Eamon currently represents the Birr area and has been a member of the local authority since 1993.

Danny represents the Tullamore area and was first elected in 2004. 

The new candidates include:

Barbara Daly from Ferbane:

Barbara is a founding member of Ógra in Offaly and served as the Leinster representative on the National Youth Committee.

She holds Certificates in Youth Work and Childcare, a Diploma in Training and Education and a Higher Certificate in Local Government Studies.

She has been involved in the Community and Voluntary Sector in Offaly for over three decades serving on the officer boards of sporting, recreation, community, education and youth work organisations at local, regional and national level and volunteers on a weekly basis in three youth groups.

In 2020, she was elected as Chairperson of the Board of Foróige, The National Youth Development Organisation and she is currently the Vice Chairperson and Chairs the Audit Risk Committee.

Barbara is also a campaigner in the Yes Equality and Together4Yes campaigns.

Mucklagh's Ollie Bryant:

Ollie is well-known within the Offaly GAA community for all his life having represented Rahan, Mucklagh and The Island Parish on the playing pitch as well as in managerial and administrative roles.

He is currently the Chairman of the Shamrocks Club.

He has been with Offaly County Council for 30 years and has been involved with the Tidy Towns Development and the Sustainable Energy Committees.

Working in Offaly County Council’s Environment Section, Ollie is acutely aware of the need to not only preserve, but embellish, our environment but he is convinced that it needs to be done in a manner that also enhances the well-being and quality of life of local people.

He believes that is best achieved at community level, where local people provide local solutions, and are assisted and supported in doing so by agents of the state.

The Bryants have been in Fianna Fáil since the foundation of the Party and Ollie wants to ensure that the Party will seek a brighter future for all citizens.

Claire Murray from Clonmore:

Claire is a mum of two children and married to Alex Smale. They are currently living in Clonmore, Co. Offaly.

She works as the Practice nurse in a busy, rural GP surgery and she holds an honours degree in general nursing, with certificates in immunisation, Dementia Care, infection control, intermediate life support, cervical sample taking and an ICGP accredited menopause theory course.

She is interested in mental health and has recently completed voluntary training with a crisis text helpline.

She helps to train a local nursery GAA team and last year, set up a walking/ running initiative in her neighbourhood, aimed at providing an opportunity for local people to get out and be active, safely as a group.

Claire is part of Rhode Athletic Club and helps run the social media accounts for this organisation.

She is currently training for her 5th marathon and recognises the importance of community when it comes to health and wellbeing.

Birr's Audrey Kennedy Hennessy:

Audrey Kennedy (Hennessy) is married to singer-songwriter Pete Kennedy and they have four children Aoibhe, Caitlin, Quin and Fionn.

She is the daughter of Herbert and Patsy Hennessy and community engagement, GAA involvement and participation, and of Fianna Fail has been a tradition in the family.

She is the holder of several county titles with Birr Camogie Club and two consecutive All-Ireland titles, (2009 & 2010).

She was crowned with a ‘Soaring Star’ award in 2009 for her work between the posts in that year’s championship.

She a trainer and mentor for both Club and County level camogie teams.

Audrey works with Avista Day Services in Birr, where she supports those with intellectual disabilities, she is an advocate on disability issues for both adults and children.

Sitting councillors include:

Declan Harvey:

Declan is a painter and decorator by trade, who is married to Sandra, a manager with Dunnes Stores. 

He has two sons Dylan, who is currently doing a PHD in Biomolecular Science and Jack is working as a QC Analysist for Janessen in Cork.

Declan is a Tullamore man from a family of 14 and he was elected in 2009.

He went for re-election to Offaly County Council in 2014 & 2019 and was elected on both occasions.

Declan was elected Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council in 2020-2021 and is the current Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District.

He would like to see Offaly County Council building more houses, which would create both employment and apprenticeship position for the young people while providing affordable housing to local people.

He is on several boards including– LCDC, Tullamore Community Arts Centre, St. Mary’s Youth Centre, Accessible Counselling Tullamore, the Joint Policing Committee, Offaly Traveller Movement, and the Housing SPC.

Declan is also a member of Tullamore GAA, Tullamore Social Club and Tullamore Golf Club.

Peter Ormond:

Peter was first elected to Offaly County Council in 1999 and will contest his 6th Local Election in 2024. He has served as Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council on three occasions.

Peter lives in his native Shinrone, where he is also an avid supporter in it's GAA club, both on a local and county level. He is married to Carmel, they have two Children, Jack and Lauren.

He is currently Chairperson of Ballyskenach Athletics Club and he loves to see people of all ages and talent participating in sport.

Peter works full time in Community development and he splits his time between working on the Rural Development Programme (Leader) and co-ordinating the volunteer centre in our neighbouring county, Westmeath.

Robert McDermott:

Robert McDermott was elected to Offaly County Council in 2019 for the first time and he is the current Chairperson of The Housing SPC, Offaly Sports Partnership, Oaklands Community College and The School Completion Programme.

He has held the Chair of the Edenderry Municipal District and Laois Offaly Education & Training Board, as well as the position of Leas Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council.

Robert has previously been involved with Down Syndrome Ireland, as a Director and was President of Leinster Rugby in 2015 and continues his voluntary involvement with Leinster Rugby in his current role as Manager of the Leinster Adult Junior Team which recently secured the Interprovincial title.

Robert lives in Edenderry with his wife, Oonagh and his daughters, Ellen & Tara.

He has run his own company, Eden Print, since 1984. 

Tony McCormack:

Tony has been a longtime member and supporter of Fianna Fáil.

Married to Joan, with sons Sean and Jacob.

He has a Masters in Business Administration and he started his first business at the age of 21 and has been self-employed ever since.

Tony is the owner of Print Plus which has 15 staff members.

He is a member of Tullamore Harriers, Triathlon Club, Rugby Club, GAA and Rotary club.

Currently our Offaly representative on the Fianna Fáil Ard Comhairle.

He was first elected in 2009, Co-opted in 2017 and elected again in 2019.

Frank Moran:

Proud native of Clara, hard working community activist on behalf of the Tullamore Municipal District and the County of Offaly, having served as Offalys First Citizen in 2022/2023 term. 

Frank's only priority is to work hard on behalf of the electorate and to conduct his responsibilities with the compassion and professionalism entrusted in him.

Eddie Fitzpatrick:

Eddie Fitzpatrick has a Beef Farming enterprise, with his son Edward, in Benfield Cloneyhurke Portarlington Offaly.

He was first elected to Offaly county council in 2004 and subsequently elected in 2009, 2014 & topping the pole in the Edenderry Municipal District in the 2019 Local elections.

Eddie is the current Cathaoirleach of Offaly county council for 2023 /2024 and previously held the position of Cathaoirleach in 2016 / 2017. 

He represents Offaly county council on the Laois/Offaly Education training board, The Dublin Mid Leinster regional health forum and the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly where he held the position of Cathaoirleach for the years 2018/2019 along with been a member of Offaly Local Development Company providing supports to rural and urban communities across the county.