36 candidates have put their names forward so far in the midlands.
A record number of women are running in this year's local elections.
A survey of declared candidates put together by Political Analyst, Laois' Adrian Kavanagh, shows 563 women have put their names forward, up from 561 in 2019.
That represents a third of the total number of declared candidates.
36 women have announced their intention to run in the elections so far in the midlands, with the 15 in Westmeath representing the largest figure in the region.
13 are running in Laois, followed by eight in Offaly, which currently only has two women sitting on the council.