There will be a major tussle over the new fourth seat that will be up for grabs on Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s home turf. Competition between Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for a potential second seat will be intense as the three-seater Meath East constituency turns into a four seater, with the return of almost 16,000 people to the constituency.
Parts of the county that were in the Cavan/ Monaghan and Louth constituencies have been returned to Meath East, which already includes the commuter towns of Ashbourne, Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Kells and Ratoath.
Current TDs (Three seats)
Helen McEntee (FG), Thomas Byrne (FF), Darren O’Rourke (SF)
Are there any boundary changes that could be crucial?
Junior minister Thomas Byrne of Fianna Fáil will be happy with the return of areas he sought in a submission to the Electoral Commission. McEntee is also expected to welcome the bigger voter base, particularly as part of her running mate’s homebase in Bettystown will be back in the constituency.
Who could make gains here?
Fine Gael will be keen to gain prominence after Sinn Féin’s Darren O’Rourke romped home in the last election and its former minister Regina Doherty lost her seat. McEntee and Byrne were not elected until the seventh count last time around.
McEntee’s running mate is Councillor Sharon Tolan.
Mornington-based councillor and Darren O’Rourke’s running mate Maria White will be hoping to bag the second seat for Sinn Féin.
In the Fianna Fáil camp, councillor and psychotherapist Caroline O’Reilly will be Minister of State Thomas Byrne’s running mate. She was selected by the party to fill the vacant seat left following the sudden death of her cousin, councillor Damien O’Reilly, last year.
Aontú leader Peadar Toibín’s sister and Navan councillor, Emer, has thrown her hat in the ring after being elected on the first count in June’s local elections. Her brother is contesting the election in Meath West. Independent councillor Gillian Toole is also in the running, while Sivakumar Murugadoss, an Independent candidate in the local elections, said he is “seriously considering” giving it a go.
On the Ballot
Eilish Balfe
Labour
A former early years teacher in Ratoath, Eilish Balfe is now a care officer at the National Women’s Council. Ms Balfe is a trade union activist who was heavily involved in negotiating a new deal on pay and conditions for staff in the early years sector. Ms Balfe holds a BA in early education and care and an MA in social policy. She has been involved in Ratoath Community Centre, the Tidy Towns competition, and her local rugby club.
Charles Patrick Bobbett
Independent
Charles Bobbett is a science and maths teacher who is studying Educational Management at Maynooth University. He lives in Ashbourne and is involved in the Tidy Towns and Ashbourne 2020 Garden groups. He served on the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.
Ruadháin Bonham
The Green Party
Ruadháin Bonham is is running as he believes "young people need a voice in politics". The 22 year old, who grew up in Dunboyne, is in his final year of college studying economics, politics and law at DCU. He promises to bring a young energetic voice to help solve local issues including the cost of living and housing. He is also concerned about transport and connectivity, nature and biodiversity.
Joseph Bonner
Independent
The Donegal native, who has lived in Meath for over 40 years, is well known for his annual community “recycling” days, which have led to the disposal of 3,000 tonnes of waste. A poll-topper in the local elections, the councillor has been involved in local government for over 20 years. His priorities include modernising infrastructure, ensuring safe roads, securing reliable public transport, and advocating for housing, healthcare, education and care of the aged.
Thomas Byrne
Fianna Fáil
Minister of State Thomas Byrne has a degree in law from Trinity College, where he joined the Wolfe Tone Cumann. A fluent Irish-speaker, he served as a TD in Meath East for Fianna Fáil from 2007 to 2011 and was re-elected in 2016. He is Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Physical Education at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Mr Byrne is part of a big Fianna Fáil family, with his father a former councillor and his brother a current one. He is related to former Fianna Fáil TDs for Meath, Colm Hilliard, and Michael Hilliard a former minister and MEP.
Carolyn Fahy
Party for Animal Welfare
Carolyn Fahy grew up in Batterstown and went to secondary school in Dunshaughlin. A former employee at Dunboyne and Ratoath Credit Union, she has been involved in the Meath Civil Defence as a first aid responder. She ran a voluntary pet rescue service from her home. She said her family were illegally evicted from their home in 2022. Among her key campaign issues are homelessness among families in Meath, hospital waiting lists, the treatment of people with disabilities, overturning the XL Bully ban, and pet theft.
Clara McCormack
People Before Profit-Solidarity
The deputy leader of Fine Gael was appointed Minister for Justice in June 2020. She is a daughter of Shane McEntee, who served as a Fine Gael TD from 2005 until 2012. Ms McEntee was first elected to the Dáil in a by-election in March 2013, which followed the tragic death of her father. She has also held roles as a minister of state for mental health and older people along with minister of state for EU affairs, which gave her a prominent role during Brexit negotiations.
Jean Murray
The National Party
Jean Murray has lived in Ratoath for the last 20 years, after moving from Cabra in 2004. She describes herself as a “proud Irish Catholic mother of three and grandmother of four”. “If elected I would bring an end to open borders policies and begin a positive policy of remigration,” she said. She said she would like to see all “insane” Green policies scrapped and An Bord Pleanála conducting rigorous planning permission to refuse mosque applications. Among the issues she is campaigning on is the opening of Thornton Hall as an accommodation centre for people applying for international protection, which she claims will be inhabited by “1,000 unvetted men from Africa and the Middle East”. She wants a sex education programme and “gender ideology” binned.
Sivakumar Murugadoss
Independent
Born in India, the father-of-two, known locally as Siva, has lived in Ireland for 21 years. He settled in Ratoath in 2008 and runs a physiotherapy clinic in Ashbourne. He said he has firsthand experience in how our healthcare and education systems can be improved, and has seen the challenges that families face.
Caroline O'Reilly
Fianna Fáil
Councillor Caroline O'Reilly was co-opted onto Meath County Council in December last year following the sudden death of her late cousin, Councillor Damien O’Reilly. She was re-elected in June in Ratoath. The addiction counsellor and psychotherapist lives in Kilcloon with her husband and daughter and has been involved in the justice and prison systems for over 20 years. Educated in NUI Maynooth, she holds a BA in geography and sociology.
Darren O'Rourke
Sinn Féin
A former political advisor to Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy, Darren O’Rourke served as a councillor for Ashbourne between 2014 and 2020, before being elected to the 33rd Dáil. He has worked as a policy advisor in Leinster House and a lab scientist in Drogheda and Dublin. He holds a BSc in biomedical science and a Masters degrees in molecular pathology. Mr O’Rourke is a member of Tara Athletics Club and Mountaineering Ireland. He lives with his wife and son in Tara, Co. Meath.
Barbera Reid
Liberty Republic
Barbara Reid is a candidate for Liberty Republic, which has been described as a new “ethno-nationalist” party led by Ben Gilroy, formerly of Direct Democracy Ireland. The party wants a freeze on all legal immigration, the detention or deportation of illegal immigrants and fines for immigrants who “overstay” their visas.
Emer Tóibín
Aontú
Aontú leader Peadar’s sister, Councillor Emer Toibín, has worked as a lecturer, project manager and in business development. She is married and has four children and has been involved as a player and coach with Navan O’Mahonys. She says dissatisfaction with how Meath has continuously been left out of governmental investment led her to get involved in local politics. She was involved with the Save Navan Hospital and Navan Rail link to Dublin campaigns.
Sharon Tolan
Fine Gael
Councillor Sharon Tolan lives in Bettystown with her husband and their three children and is the Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council. Ms Tolan has set out seven priorities for Meath East. They are empowering commuters, supporting businesses, championing education, prioritising road safety, strengthening community facilities and funding, delivering affordable housing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
Gillian Toole
Independent
The councillor topped the poll in Ratoath in the June local elections. She is supported by Independent Senator Sharon Keogan, who says there a big independent vote in Meath East and they intended to work alongside Ms Toole to make sure they deliver an independent seat. She is highlighting an “infrastructure deficit” in the constituency, noise issues around Dublin Airport and an alleged lack of community engagement on asylum seeker plans for the Thornton Hall site. Ms O'Toole was first elected as a Fine Gael councillor in 2014 but later left the party.
Raymond Westlake
Independent
Raymond Westlake is a retired HSE clinical scientist and former member of the defence forces. A native of Julianstown, he is a graduate of the City of Westminster College and father of four children. According to Independent Ireland’s website, he is deeply concerned about the “lack of accountability and fiscal responsibility” within government.
Maria White
Sinn Féin
Originally from Dublin’s inner city, councillor Maria White worked with the homeless community at Focus Ireland. She has been a school principal and a founding member of a Gaelscoil. She is a member of the Duleek Drama Players, the East Coast Family Resource Centre working group and Mornington Tidy Towns group. Ms White serves on the boards of Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, Youthreach, Coláiste na hInse and Drogheda Institute of Further Education. She was elected to Meath County Council in June this year.
