19 candidates going forward for European election in Ireland South constituency

Eddie Punch is standing as an Independent candidate in the Ireland South constituency for the European elections which will take place on Friday, June 7.

The Clare native stepped down from his role as Secretary General of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) after 25 years to enter electoral politics.

A suckler and beef farmer, Eddie sits on the board of Sixmilebridge Co-operative Mart and has been a Member of Council with the Irish Management Institute since 2021.

A former member of the National Economic and Social Council, Eddie has also worked in rural development with both Laois LEADER and West Limerick Resources.

Eddie has over 20 years of experience lobbying successive European Farm Commissioners and EU officials on a face-to-face basis in both Brussels and Strasbourg.

Mr Punch said he wants to use his experience for the people of Ireland South. “I have negotiated with every EU Farm Commissioner since Franz Fischler in 2003. I want to put that experience to use for the constituents of Ireland South. This is not just about farmers; this is about all of those whose lives and economic wellbeing is linked to the success of our agri-food sector. This is about Ireland’s vital national interests, of which our farming sector is a key component.”

“Farmers are more actively engaged in sustainability than most of the population. We can’t forget that the primary purpose of farming is to feed the world. Farming also can make a significant difference to renewable energy and we need to get the balance right in policy between food security, energy security and climate ambition.”

Mr Punch also believes that balanced regional development is more critical than ever before. “Instead of Dublin Airport further expanding, I would like to see a counterbalance created by increasing traffic into and out of Shannon, Cork and Farranfore Airports. Repeated calls to restore Waterford Airport as a regional gateway for commercial flights should also be fully supported.”

A passionate advocate for people with disabilities, Eddie is committed to placing “the escalating problem of mental health” at the heart of his parliamentary brief if he is elected. “I’m a hard worker, a straight talker and a good listener and would provide a truly independent and experienced voice within this vast and varied constituency.”

19 candidates will now battle it out for the five seats in the Ireland South constituency in this year’s European elections.

The counties in the Ireland South constituency include Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford and Wicklow.

Ireland currently has 13 MEPs in the European Parliament.

The number of MEPs Ireland has in the next European Parliament will however increase to 14 after this year’s elections.

An additional seat has been allocated to the Midlands-North West constituency.

The current MEPs in the Ireland South constituency are Deirdre Clune (FG), Billy Kelleher (FF), Seán Kelly (FG), Grace O’Sullivan (Green Party) and Mick Wallace (Independents 4 Change).

Cork MEP Deirdre Clune announced in recent months that she will not be running again for election.

The other four sitting MEPS have all confirmed that they will be contesting for re-election.

Cork businessman John Mullins is running as the second Fine Gael candidate with Seán Kelly.

Former RTÉ presenter Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has been selected by Fianna Fáil as a candidate alongside Billy Kelleher in the Ireland South constituency.

Sinn Féin have selected Senator Paul Gavan and Kathleen Funchion a sitting TD for Carlow-Kilkenny to contest the Ireland South constituency, while

Limerick sociologist Niamh Hourigan has been selected as the Labour Party candidate.

The Social Democrats have selected Cork based solicitor Susan Doyle as their party candidate for the European elections.

People Before Profit representative Cian Prendiville will represent the party in the upcoming Ireland South European election.

Cork man Patrick Murphy has been selected by Aontú to contest for a seat in Ireland South, while Michael Leahy a Clare native has been confirmed as the Irish Freedom Party candidate in Ireland South.

Lorna Bogue who is a sitting councillor in the Cork City South East constituency since 2019 will be running for the Green Left party An Rabharta Glas.

Derek Blighe is running for the Ireland First Party, while Mary Fitzgibbon who hails from Ballymacelligott in County Kerry will be running as an Independent candidate.

Independent candidate Graham de Barra who hails from Cork has also confirmed he will run for election in the Ireland South constituency.

In recent days Independent TD Michael McNamara became the latest politician to announce that he will be contesting the European Parliament elections in the Ireland South constituency.

The European and local elections will take place on Friday, June 7.

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