Elected first as a Waterford county councillor for the Workers' Party in 1999, he served on the council until he was elected to the Dáil in 2011 on his third attempt. Now an Independent, he is a member of the Dáil Technical Group and is an active campaigner against austerity measures such as the Local Property Tax.

I have a proven track record of standing up for Waterford and holding the government to account over its continued neglect of the south east.

Jobs, followed closely by housing and healthcare reform - Waterford remains an unemployment blackspot and our hospital is in crisis.

I’d like to see the abolition of the whip system. It has caused the rejection of some badly-needed, worthwhile pieces of legislation in the 31st Dáil.