My public appeal for your vote today

Here is the letter I had printed in yesterday's Kilkenny People newspaper. Please read it and pass it on if you think it can help others to see that Michael D. deserves your vote today. There's still almost five hours left to cast your vote.


A chara,
I have never before in twenty five years of political activism considered writing a public appeal on behalf of any candidate standing for election. I do so now however because I believe that we as citizens have an opportunity this Thursday to elect as Uachtarán na hÉireann the man who more than any other has inspired me and my generation and who can lift the spirit of our broken country. Never have we needed it more.

In 1987 Michael D. Higgins asked me as a young student leader to join the Labour Party in order to help change my community and play a part in changing our country. Since then I have been proud to stand alongside him in many battles which have made that change. Like he did with me, Michael D brought thousands of people into giving our time and energy to make Ireland a better place. It is the reason that every young person I know who meets him is inspired by him.

Let us also remember the real, concrete actions he took as our first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht which have had such a profound impact on Kilkenny. He established the Heritage Council which now has its headquarters in this city, he established the National Film board and put in place an incentive scheme which has led to the creation of thousands of Irish jobs, including those in companies like our own Cartoon Saloon. And let us never forget TG4. Is Michael D an chéad aire a chuir stop leis an 'caint san aeir' faoin nGaeilge agus a thug stádas lárnach, nua-aimsirthe di, ag seasamh le Ghaelscoileanna agus ag labhairt an teanga go hoscailte agus go líofa. He also established the ACCESS arts grant scheme which led to the upgrading of our Watergate theatre and the building of the George Bernard Shaw facility in Carlow.

Michael D. has always had justice and equality at the heart of his writings, thoughts and actions. Anybody who attended the protests against the Iraq war will remember his passion, his independence and his focus. He has always defended the poor and the oppressed throughout Ireland and the world and is therefore in a unique position to represent us at home and abroad.

Finally Michael D. Higgins stood clearly against the values of greed and mé féinism which destroyed this country in the past fourteen years. He will be a clear voice for the return to our best values of community, solidarity and positivity as our head of state. More than any other person he would with conviction read the section of our proclamation committing us to finally cherish all the children of the nation equally on Easter Sunday 2016. I urge every Kilkenny citizen to consider these issues before making this crucial national decision.
Is mise le meas,
Cllr. Seán Ó hArgáin
Greenshill
Kilkenny.

Is Féidir Linn

Sin na focail a d'úsáid ceannaire mo pháirtí, Eamon Gilmore ag deireadh a aitheasc i gCill Chainnigh an Satharn seo chaite. Las sé tine faoi bhaill an pháirtí agus más aon comhartha an méid atáim ag clos ó cháirde agus an pobal, faoin dtír ar fad chomh maith.

We've just finished the historic first ever national conference of the Labour Party in Kilkenny and whar a weekend it was. For me, the most memorable conference speech was that of our last hugely successful leader Dick Spring at the famour 'Bread and Roses' caonference in Tralee in 1989. That was pure theatre with its opera and poetry and its sheer novelty. Saturday's sppech was all about content however, right from the start. The first sentence was 'I want to talk to you about solutions', and that was what he did. You can watch the speech below or read it here.

For my own part, I got to speak in the live RTÉ television debate on Saturday morning and you can see the speech here from the party's very forward looking presence on UStream. I also made the main RTÉ news for my comments regarding Fine Gael's attacks on the public service, and was also delighted to make it onto Saturday View, my favourite RTÉ radio programme, and had the privilege of being interviewed by John Bowman. The soundbite was small for all of us but we were there regardless. The coverage continued today as my comments were covered in two pieces in the Irish Times, one on FG and one on class sizes. and the Irish Daily Mail. More importantly of course on a local level I got to do a good piece with Tom Dowling on the afternoon news show on KCLR FM, our local radio station.

Two highlights of the weekend were the long service awards to Carlow/Kilkenny party members. Two of my favourite Labour women got recognition they deserved. Sadie Kelly was my predecessor on the party's National Executive and played a major part in bringing this conference to Kilkenny, work which I was delighted to continue, while the ever youthful Peggy Kerwick was unfortunately absent but her award was collected by my neighbour and great community activist, Seán. The others were Graiguenamanagh man John Bolger, Borris man Willie Hayes, and the unbelieveably fresh looking Paddy Dowd of Coon in North Kilkenny a 93 year old lifelong activist. All got their awards from one of my heroes, party President Michael D. Higgins TD.

He had previously presented the Jim Larkin justice award to Conor MacLiam, husband of the late Susie Long who inspired us so much in her life and her passing. Conor reminded us that Susie was a great socialist and a huge admirer of Larkin, and of course challenged us to keep alive the issues which tragically led to her death.