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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin O’Broin TD with James Donnelly, Ballymahon MD local election candidate
Longford Sinn Féin made their presence felt at the party’s annual Ard Fheis in Athlone over the weekend.
Four 2024 local election candidates, Lorccán Keown (Longford Municipal District), Barry Campion (Granard Municipal District), Maureen Pigott and James Donnelly (Ballymahon Municipal District) all spoke on various issues over the two day event held at the Technological University Shannon campus.
Edgeworthstown man James Donnelly used the opportunity to highlight Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien on his failures for the people of Longford and the fact that Longford County Council failed to build a single social home in 2022 from a target of 75.
Mr Donnelly is also demanding that the government ban rent increases in the private rental sector as rents continue to spiral upwards in Edgeworthstown.
He made the call as the latest Daft.ie rent report shows rents rising by 13.08% in Longford over the last 12 months.
He said, “Monday’s Daft.ie report shows rents continuing to spiral upwards. New rents are now up 13.08% in Longford over the last 12 months.
“An average new rental in Longford is now costing a staggering €1,204 per month! This is totally unaffordable for people on ordinary incomes in Longford.”
Mr Donnelly continued, “Renters in Longford desperately need a break. It’s time for the government to take up Sinn Féin’s proposal to ban rent increases for three years and to put a full month's rent back into every private renter's pocket through a refundable tax credit.
“Government must also increase and accelerate the delivery of affordable rental and purchase homes. People in Longford are suffering under the housing crisis and can’t keep waiting for this out of touch government to act. The longer Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil stay in office, the worse things are becoming.
“We need at least 8,000 genuinely affordable homes a year across the state to meet current needs as outlined in Sinn Féin’s Alternative Housing Budget for 2023.”
In her address, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald criticised the “jaded politics” of the Irish government as she set out the party’s ambition to lead north and south of the border.
She said housing is the party’s top priority and that “momentum is building” for Irish unification.
Caption: Gerry Adams and James Donnelly at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in TUS Athlone
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