Fianna Fáil selects Fionán Bradley to stand in Buncrana local electoral area

Buncrana man Fionán Bradley has been selected to run for Fianna Fáil in the Buncrana local electoral area in June’s local elections.

He was selected at a party convention in Buncrana on Thursday night to run for the seat on Donegal County Council that is to be vacated by Rena Donaghey who announced earlier this month that she is stepping down after 30 as a local councillor.

Mr Bradley was elected ahead of Gemma McGrory-Fitzgerald, the only other contestant at the convention which was held in the Lake of Shadows hotel and attended by Donegal TD and agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue.

The 29-year-old secondary school teacher has been an active member of Fianna Fáil since he was 16 and has held a number of party positions including press relations officer of the Buncrana cumann and secretary of the comhairle Dáil ceantair in Donegal. 

He was also a member of the  Wolfe Tone cumann at Trinty College Dublin when he was a student there. 

He has been strongly involved in community organisations including St Vincent de Paul, Buncranna GAA club, Inish Theatre Group, the local pastoral council, and Inishowen Credit Union.

Rena Donaghey puts family first as she announces she will not contest local elections

The veteran councillor is retiring from local politics after 30 years representing the people of Buncrana

Mr Bradley said he is “humbled and honoured that members rowed behind me in such numbers”.

“It gives me great confidence that so many people have decided I am the right man for the job to go forward and try and hold that seat,” he said.

He said he wants to build on the “tremendous work” done by Cllr Donaghey over 30 years.

The biggest issue facing the area is the defective concrete blacks crisis, he said.

“The scheme that is there at the minute just has to start working much better than it is.”

He said there also needs to be a priority on completing large infrastructural projects in Buncrana such as the three-school campus, the town's leisure centre and the new building for Scoil Íosagáin.

A married father of one, he said he is very aware of the issues facing young people and families in Inishowen, such as the difficulties in finding somewhere to live.

“I really do understand  the struggles that people are facing in terms of the cost of living and I am empathetic to what they are going through.”