Galway County Councillor, Aisling Dolan, has been appointed as a Senator under the newly formed government with Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. She is one of the Taoiseach’s nominations for the Upper House of the Oireachtas. The Ballinasloe-area councillor put in a strong contest in the General Election for Fine Gael in Roscommon-Galway earlier this year, on her first run to secure a seat in the Dail. More than five thousand three hundred people in the constituency gave their first preference vote to the newcomer when they went to the ballot box last February.
Following the agreement between Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens on a Programme for Government, the Ballinasloe native will now represent Fine Gael in the Roscommon – Galway constituency in the Seanad.
Speaking about her appointment to the Seanad, long-standing Fine Gael Councillor Jimmy McClearn says ‘as the longest serving Fine Gael councillor on Galway County Council, I’m delighted for Aisling Dolan on her appointment to Seanad Eireann. Her hard work, enthusiasm and energy will be of huge benefit to the Roscommon- Galway constituency.’
Senator Dolan says ‘this is a win for the people of Roscommon and Galway. It’s an honour and a privilege to be a member of the incoming Oireachtas and fight for our fair share of investment. As the only Fine Gael representative in this constituency, I will be a strong and determined voice to represent our area at a national level. As a Councillor, I’ve worked with colleagues across the political spectrum to get projects over the line and this experience will be crucial in Upper House of the Oireachtas.
I’ve contested three elections in less than a year - Local Elections in May 2019, the General Election in February 2020 and the Seanad Election in March 2020. As a result I’ve met hundreds of people on the doorstep and engaged with representative groups in farming, hospitals, nursing, family carers, business and community development associations.
I will now have the opportunity to dedicate myself full-time as a Senator to fight for investment into East Galway and Roscommon, continuing the excellent work carried out by my party colleague Maura Hopkins and previously Michael Mullins.
My priorities have always been steadfast - Healthcare, Environment & Investment into our region:
· Fighting for towns under 10,000 who struggle to compete for investment
· to ensure access to essential health services,
· to revitalise our business community and to protect farmers income in the face of Covid19 & negotiations on CAP and Brexit.
· To look at how remote and flexible working can support people in our towns and villages to work from home – something that is extremely relevant as we move forward
· To stimulate community groups in our region to secure funding in local government and national programmes
I’d like to thank the Fine Gael party and in particular, Party Leader Leo Varadkar, for his support and faith in me and to thank my fantastic team of campaigners, friends and family who have helped immensely in the drive to secure an Oireachtas seat in this area. I am driven by where I come from – to make this a place to live, a place to work and a place to visit