'It's all to play for': Fianna Fáil select Adejinmi, Butler and Monaghan in Longford bid to win back control of County Council

Party members put forward Councillors Uruemu Adejinmi, Seamus Butler and Martin Monaghan to lead a campaign they hope will win control of Longford County Council in a little over six months time.

The Leader also understands party bosses will be conducting interviews over the coming weeks at its Mount Street headquarters in Dublin with a view to adding a fourth candidate to the Longford MD ticket.

Chaired by Mayo based Senator Lisa Chambers, last night’s selection convention at the Longford Arms Hotel saw impassioned speeches from all three as eyes were firmly drawn on the party’s aspirations over the next five years.

Cllr Adejinmi singled out her “mentor”, Longford TD Joe Flaherty as the reason why she joined Fianna Fáil and referred to a number of locally based issues she and her party had rolled out since her co-option in 2020.

In listing out upgrades to x-ray facilities at St Joseph’s Care Centre, supporting students at second and third level and bringing a special needs playground at the county town’s former greyhound track to fruition.

Group leader, Cllr Butler told of his near fifty year association with the party and of his own involvement in leading the successful restoration of St Mel’s Cathedral “on time and on budget”.

In a light hearted reference to ongoing delays surrounding the new National Children’s Hospital, the Longford businessman said: “The next national hospital you want built, come to Co Longford because we will do it for you on time and on budget.”

Cllr Butler insisted there was no denying the impact Fianna Fáil had brought to the lives of Longfordians up and down the county, maintaining the focus was very much on wrestling control of the council chamber from Fine Gael come next June.

“We deliver, we don’t talk about delivery, we deliver,” he said.

“It is our intention to get back into that position (control of council) and depending on the way the cookie crumbles, we are going to need at least seven, if not eight councillors (elected). 

“If we get eight, we ave a very good chance of taking back control of the council.”

His party colleague, Cllr Martin Monaghan re-iterated those ambitions, while revealing his own honour in being elected Longford Municipal District Cathaoirleach in June.

A self confessed “through and through” Fianna Fáil man, the local butcher also said the party needed to “up its game” after it emerged this week Cllr PJ Reilly would not be standing for re-election in the Granard electoral area.

“If we do not have control of the council, we are playing catch up constantly,” he said. 

“We have six councillors at the minute and we have a retiring councillor. 

“We can lose people and we can replace people, but you can’t replace experience and we are losing a 20 year councillor with massive experience, so we need to be upping our game to make sure we can produce eight councillors. 

“It will take a momentous effort to get what we want and that is to run the council. I don’t make any bones about it, that is the ultimate aim for us as Fianna Fáil members to control Longford County Council because we deliver.”