Claddagh joins City Central Ward in electoral shake-up

The Claddagh has been annexed into the Galway City Central electoral area in an otherwise uneventful rejig of the city’s local election boundaries announced last week.

The Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee has moved the Claddagh from Galway City West to Galway City Central – the main ity recommendation in the report.

Galway City East remains unchanged apart from gaining around 100 votes in Lough Atalia Road from Galway City Central.

The recommendation to move Claddagh was made “in order to improve the balance of representation between each of the three six-seat local electoral areas”.

There will be 18 elected representatives following next year’s local election in May and each of the three city electoral areas will maintain six councillors. The big ‘winners’ in the carve-up are two sitting independents: Collette Connolly and Mike Cubbard.

Cllr Connolly was unsuccessful as a Labour Party candidate in City Central in 2014 but was co-opted onto the Council when her sister, Catherine Connolly, was elected to Dáil Éireann in the 2016 General Election.

Deputy Connolly was the undisputed Queen of the Claddagh in the 2014 locals, where she polled an extraordinary 40% of first preferences.

If Cllr Collette Connolly runs again – and it is likely she will – she will retain many of those Claddagh votes, as well as polling well in her native Shantalla. The rejig also gives a fillip to City Central poll-topper in 2014 Cllr Cubbard, whose family hails from Claddagh.

Sinn Féin’s Cathal Ó Conchúir, who won a seat in Galway City West last time, will be most disappointed with the recommendation. After Catherine Connolly, the tallies for 2014 local elections show he was the second most popular candidate in Claddagh polling 14%, which was significant in him securing a seat. Labour’s Niall McNelis (10%) and Fianna Fáil’s Peter Keane (10.5%) also both polled well in Claddagh last time out.

Meanwhile, there are big changes to the electoral boundaries in County Galway with two additional areas created based on population changes.

Connemara has been split into two, with Barna, Furbo, Spiddal, Moycullen, Cois Fharraige, Leitir Mór and the Aran Islands comprising South Connemara with five councillors. North Connemara including Clifden and Oughterard has a larger territorial area, but smaller populations, and will have four councillors.

Clarinbridge has been taken out of Oranmore/Athenry area, which has taken in parts of Tuam Municipal District. Loughrea Municipal District has been split up, too, with a new area including Kinvara and Gort.