Roscrea's Michael Smith says he is 'striving to be a local TD'

Roscrea Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Smith secured the highest first preference percentage vote in the entire county of Tipperary in the summer local election, and he now hopes to repeat that success in the General Election this month and win the seat opened up by the unexpected retirement of Jackie Cahill.

Speaking to the Tribune about his campaign after he received the nomination from his party in Templemore on Friday night, Cllr. Smith is one of two Fianna Fáil candidates competing for votes in the North Tipperary/West Kilkenny constituency.

In the local elections he won the highest percentage first preference vote in Tipperary at 29% for the third successive local election and now he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father, Michael Smith Snr., the former Minister for Defence, and represent the area in the Dáil.

Currently the Cathaoirleach of the Thurles/Roscrea/Templemore Municipal Council, Cllr Smith first won a seat on North Tipperary County Council 20 years ago and has been re-elected in every local election he has contested since then, topping the poll in 2009, 2014, 2019 and again in the June 2024 local elections.

“I am honoured to have been selected to contest the forthcoming General Election as a Fianna Fáil candidate. The circumstances which arose were unexpected and left little time to prepare. I acknowledge the work done by Jackie Cahill T.D and wish him all the best with his health into the future”, Cllr. Smith told this newspaper.

“Over my career as a councillor, I have received the highest percentage vote in the last three local elections in the whole county of Tipperary. I have served on the Council for twenty years and gained considerable knowledge and understanding of the challenges ahead.

“Experience matters in politics, it helps me weigh up decisions, assess consequences and implications, all through the prism of my time working with the people. I hope to have the opportunity to bring that experience to the role of TD.

“If elected, I promise to do my level best to serve the needs of the people of Tipperary and North West Kilkenny to the very best of my ability”, Cllr. Smith said.

Addressing the constituency boundary changes he said wishes to welcome the people of North West Kilkenny.

“We all know that it is a significant wrench to be taken out of the Kilkenny County area. In Tipperary, we are used to changes, the county boundaries have changed in every election since 2007. However, if elected, you can be assured that I will do my very best to represent you.

“I will work with your elected representatives and ensure you have a good service and response to your needs. We don’t expect to change the rivalry between our two counties, and it is some rivalry, but we may be able to change other things by working together”, he said.

Housing is a priority in his campaign and he wants to see more buulding.

“We need to build homes in a much more timely manner, in both the public and private sector. While there are over 115,000 more homes since Fianna Fáil came into government, we need to do more.

“We have reformed the planning laws and committed to greater investment in local infrastructure and water services, which will reduce costs and speed up the delivery of homes. The party has also committed to increasing the fund available to the land development agency and extend the Help to Buy as well as the First Home Scheme.

“As a councillor I worked tirelessly trying to get people into their homes and I know only too well where the fault lines in the system are. I have always advocated for greater grants to open up vacant properties and old housing stock in our towns and villages and breathe new life and vigour into our communities. Our towns and villages cannot cease to exist when shops close in the evenings”, he said.

“My wife Mary and I have three teenage children and we know the challenges that families face. Mary is a teacher and works in an Early Intervention Class for children with Autism in Birr.

“As a result, I am keenly aware of the pressures on parents and on the education sector. I believe that we should provide multidisciplinary teams of therapists in every special school in the country. An Tánaiste, Micheál Martin has committed to the provision of physios, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists in every special school in the country and I will do all I can to push for these services”, he said.

FARMING AND DEVELOPMENT

“As a full-time farmer, I understand the stresses and challenges in the agricultural sector. It provides massive employment in Tipperary and North West Kilkenny, such as meat processing and milk processing. These are hugely important to our economy. Farmers are the custodians of our countryside and are playing their part in protecting the lands, with management of grass, reseeding of nitrate neutral grass and reducing the use of artificial fertilisers”, he said.

“Farmers need our support to make the farm life viable and issues such as inheritance tax, must be addressed so that young farmers can see a future on the farm.

“We only have to see what is happening in Spain and different parts of the world to recognise that we have serious challenges with climate change. I’m glad that across this constituency we have seen significant development in wind energy in Borrisokane, Templederry Cappawhite and Roscrea.

“With Solar energy and converting animal waste into energy products, these will all ultimately lead to much less pressure on fossil fuels and help us to reach our climate change goals. I want to be a champion for rural development across this constituency. There are a huge number of funding streams available to the rural community, such the Clár and Leader Programme and the Community Enhancement and Facilities Scheme”, Cllr. Smith said.

“I have worked on a large number of projects in my area and have a special interest in community development and encouraging voluntary efforts. We have seen developments in all the villages from Knock to Gortagarry, Clonakenny to Killea and Castleliney Loughmore. In enhancing these places, creating walks, heritage sites and amenities we help to create an encouraging environment, where people can meet and discourse.

“Our people are resourceful and need to be supported. I was delighted to see the opening of the voluntary tea and coffee shop in Moyne. It shows the potential that is there. Giving an outlet to people is so vital, we are gregarious people we need to talk; we need to meet and gather together and as that connection develops, the stronger our communities in rural areas will be.

“As our population grows older, there is a need for greater supports to enable people to live in their own homes, adapted, if necessary, for as long possible. Carers and everyone working in the provision of care, know the necessity of providing aid and appliances, we all want to ensure freedom and dignity to all the vulnerable.

“Like in every home and in government, things can go wrong, mistakes are made, and the easiest thing is to be negative and blame someone, but the most important thing is to stand up and do something.

“I played Junior B hurling for Clonakenny but hope to have the opportunity to play a senior role in politics for the people of this proud constituency. I hope to meet as many as I can in the coming weeks and look forward to putting my name before the people”.