Republican News · Thursday 9 May 2002

Profiles of Sinn Féin Leinster candidates

Councillor Arthur Morgan - Louth

Arthur Morgan is married to Marian and is from Omeath. He is the Sinn Féin spokesperson on the Environment.

In the June 1999 European elections, Arthur polled 20,015 first-preference votes in the Leinster constituency. He was elected to Louth County Council in June 1999, taking the second of five seats in Dundalk/Carlingford with a vote over the quota on the first count (1,462 votes).

He is a member of the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission, established under the Good Friday Agreement.

Arthur is a director in the family fish processing company. He is a founding member of the Cooley Environmental and Health Group, which campaigns against Sellafield and has investigated the extraordinary high incidence of cancer in the North Louth area.

He has led a Sinn Féin delegation to West Cumbria and the Welsh Assembly to highlight Irish concerns about Sellafield. He is also a member of various fishing groups and is chairperson of the Irish Seafood Wholesalers and Retailers Association. He is involved in the campaign to retain and upgrade essential services at Louth County Hospital.

He is a member of Sinn Féin's Ard Chomhairle and has been particularly active in the anti-incinerator campaign, having won a High Court battle to overturn a decision by the Louth County Council chair that could allow an incinerator in the Louth region.

Councillor Joe Reilly - Meath

Councillor Joe Reilly joined Sinn Féin in 1970 and has been a member of the party's Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) for over 20 years.

He was General Secretary of Sinn Féin when in 1988 the party first produced "Scenario for Peace". This document was the foundation stone for the current peace process initiated by Sinn Féin.

He has played a central role in the peace process as a member of Sinn Féin's negotiations team. At present, Joe is one of the party's National Treasurers and is Director of Cairde Sinn Féin.

In 1994, he was first elected to Navan Urban District Council. In 1999, he was re-elected to Navan UDC, topping the poll, and he also took a seat on Meath County Council for the first time.

As a Meath County Councillor, Joe Reilly has campaigned tirelessly on a range of issues affecting the people of the area, including housing, the environment and roads. He has also highlighted the fact that drug dealing and drug abuse are increasingly becoming a problem for the area and has called for proper drug education programmes and treatment facilities.

Councillor Brian Stanley - Laois/Offaly

Brian Stanley is Vice Chairperson of Portlaoise Town Council and a member of the Portlaoise area committee of Laois County Council. He is an active member of O'Moore Place residents' committee and a director of Portlaoise Community Action Project. He is also a member of Portlaoise swimming pool committee.

Brian holds a third level qualification in Adult and Community education and has a proven track record as a community worker and public representative.

He is Chairperson of Laois/Offaly Sinn Féin and has served on the party's Ard Comhairle. An active environmentalist, he has campaigned for sustainable waste management and the rejection of incineration as a means of waste disposal.

Councillor John Dwyer - Wexford

John is 37 years old and lives in New Ross with his partner Lorraine and family. A trade union official for 17 years, John was elected to New Ross Urban District Council in 1999.

As an elected representative he is involved in campaigns against incinerator proposals, dangerous phone masts, superdumps and low pay. John has consistently made representations to New Ross UDC, Wexford County Council, the Department of the Environment and the South Eastern Health Board on behalf of constituents from all over Wexford, highlighting the poor state of roads, urban and rural disadvantage, housing problems and bad planning.

He has been publicly promoting creative solutions to a wide range of problems such as getting the local council to purchase private developments for social housing needs and a council levy on derelict sites.

He is a member of New Ross UDC's Industrial Development Committee; a board member of 'Future New Ross'; the New Ross Tidy Towns PRO; a member of the Swimming Pool Committee and Vice Chair of Wexford Sinn Féin.

Mairead Keane - Wicklow

Mairead Keane has been involved in Sinn Féin since late 1981. She has also been involved in women's politics in Ireland and was head of the Sinn Féin Women's Department until 1993. She has also been directly involved in the development of our electoral strategy and was director of elections in the 1994 European elections.

She was Director of the Sinn Féin office in Washington DC from 1995 to 1998. On her return to Ireland, she took charge of the party's International Department. She led the National Committee established to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strikes.

Mairead has a BA and holds a degree in social work.

Tom Kiernan - Carlow/Kilkenny

Tom Kiernan (49), a married father of two teenage children, lives in Kilkenny City. Tom was a house husband when his children were small and is now working as a contractor with Coillte. Tom has been actively involved in organising Sinn Féin in Kilkenny. Successive governments have failed to use the prosperity of the last ten years for the betterment of all sections of Irish society. Tom invites you to make the difference and vote Sinn Féin to implement our radical policies for a better Ireland.

Niamh Hogg - Westmeath

Niamh Hogg is married with two children. Originally from Dublin, Niamh moved to Westmeath ten years ago. She lived in Grange village, Mullingar, between 1995 and 1999, where she worked tirelessly with young people. She was involved with summer camps, young women's groups, drug awareness work and in the campaign for a local resource centre.

She currently lives in Kilpatrick, Collinstown, and is employed by Killucan parish as a FAS Community Employment Scheme supervisor. Prior to taking up this position, she worked for the Midland Regional Youth Services in Tullamore. She is also involved in the Women's Network Leadership Programme and is chairperson of Collinstown Community Games.