Elected first as a Sligo county councillor in 1991, he was elected a TD in 2007 but lost his seat in 2011. Also a former senator, he was re-elected to the council in 2014. He is a long-standing member of Fianna Fáil but left the party briefly in 2009 when he lost the party whip after opposing cuts in breast cancer services at Sligo General Hospital.

I think I reflect the people here. I’m a husband and father, and a business owner with an agricultural background. Most people here can relate to this.

Equity in access to adequate public services. Having equal opportunities in education, jobs and health care within reasonable distances.

Set about working to reverse some of the cuts in previous budgets that impacted on the most vulnerable.