O’Meara is a Cloughjordan-based councillor, who was selected after Deputy Jackie Cahill’s decision not to contest the election. He has been a councillor for over 20 years, and is also a member of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly and the Regional Health Forum South.

I wanted to build on the work I have being doing as a local representative. I have served on the Council for twenty years and gained considerable knowledge and understanding of the challenges ahead and the solutions required to fix them. Experience matters in politics, it helps me weigh up decisions, assess consequences and implications, all through my time working with the people.

Housing is a massive priority for me. We need to build more homes in a much more timely manner, in both the public and private sector. While there are 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 which will reduce costs and speed up the delivery of homes.

Rural development in Tipperary North and North West Kilkenny. I would like to see more vibrant communities, investment in new enterprises, more environmentally friendly initiatives and sporting and leisure facilities.