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Cionnaith O Suilleabhain - Local Candidate

Councillor Cionnaith O Suilleabhain is a Sinn Féin candidate for Clonakilty Town Council and for Cork County Council - Skibbereen.



Clonakilty townspeople first elected Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin as a Sinn Féin councillor to the local U.D.C. (now called Town Council) on 11th June 1994, which was his first time ever contesting any election.



18 candidates contested that election for 9 seats. Included were 5 sitting councillors. At 27, Cionnaith was the youngest candidate in the field, and few gave him a chance of getting elected. It was a time before the first I.R.A. cessation and just few months after the dropping of Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, which precluded Sinn Féin spokespersons from being interviewed on radio and television. It was also a time, just like the previous 25 years when there was a hostile print media against Republicans.



However, he polled third highest first preference vote and took the fourth of the nine seats.



Since then, he has established himself as a dedicated and tireless worker for his community, and indeed an often-contentious politician.



His enthusiasm and energy during his first term on the Town Council (1994 – ‘99), during which he earned a reputation for hard work, straight-talking, honesty and integrity, was rewarded in the 1999 Town Council election when he more than doubled his first preference vote of 1994 and topped the poll with the largest No. 1 vote ever in the 100 year history of Clonakilty U.D.C. - a massive 290 first preference votes which was 120 over the quota. In fact that result was historic in it’s own right as it was the highest vote ever achieved by any candidate in elections to the Town Council since it’s establishment 100 years previously. In the County Council Election held on the same day, he received 735 1st Preference Votes, and was eliminated with nearly 950 votes, a great showing for his first outing in the County Council hustings.



He was also a Sinn Féin candidate in the 2002 General election polling 1,200 1st preference votes.



He frequently finds himself isolated on the council as he fearlessly raises issues that other councillors will not speak about.



During his first five-year term on Clonakilty U.D.C. he worked hard to try to get the issues he highlighted in his election manifesto addressed.



He constantly harried Council officials pointing out the inequalities that prevailed in Clonakilty. Repairs to Council Houses and Flats was one of his most persistent topics. Cionnaith is a strong believer in the Sinn Féin policy of empowering people, and over the years has initiated a number of campaigns in Clonakilty where “people power” saw victories being secured. Some of these campaigns were born out of his frustration in getting the desired results within the council chamber. Click on the links below to find out about a very small portion of Cionnaith’s work as a Councillor in Clonakilty.



As well as his dedication to his council duties, he is an active member of numerous local and national organisations including the Clonakilty Post Office Action Committee (Asst. Sec.), Clonakilty Special Olympics Committee (P.R.O.), Clonakilty Fairtrade Steering Group (P.R.O.), Clonakilty Access Group (founder member), Clonakilty Singing Club (an actor and committee member), Easter Commemoration Committee, Independent Workers’ Union, Carbery Housing Association, Glór na nGael, the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (P.A.N.A.), Cork Environmental Forum, Cuba Support Group, BirdWatch Ireland, Irish Traveller Movement (associate member) to name a few. He is a delegate to the Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland (A.M.A.I.) from Clonakilty Town Council, as well as serving on the council’s Car Free Day sub-committee.



A member of Sinn Féin since 1989, he holds a number of positions in the party up to Provincial level including Treasurer and P.R.O. of Clonakilty Cumann, Secretary of the West Cork Comhairle Cheanntair and Councillors’ Representative on the Munster Cúige Officerboard.



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