The new faces of local democracy: Meath’s first firefighter councillor on year one
When Sinn Féin councillor, Fionnan Blake, was elected to Meath County Council last year, he quietly made history. Not only did he become the first firefighter to hold a seat, but he was also the first Dunshaughlin native to represent the area.
One year into his term, the Dunshaughlin Station Officer has said that the reality of life as a councillor has been more demanding than he thought.
“The most surprising thing about being a councillor is that it’s so busy. I didn’t know it would be this busy,” he said.
“It takes months to understand the system. I still don’t fully understand it — that could take a couple of years.”
Cllr Blake’s journey to the council as he described it was unexpected.
In June 2023, Cllr Blake, who has been in the fire service for more than 25 years, joined colleagues in strike over pay and working conditions.
“We weren’t looked after and we were treated very badly,” he said.
“The strike went on all summer. Even while we were on the picket line, calls were still coming in. We were put under moral pressure to respond.”
One call in particular still stands out.
“One day there was a cardiac arrest locally. We decided to put down the posters and go to the house to help. We were doing that for free. The nearest brigade was from Ashbourne, and they arrived about 15 minutes after us. Then we went straight back to the picket line.”
Cllr Blake, a Sinn Féin member since 2020, soon received an unexpected call from Meath East TD Darren O’Rourke.
“I thought he wanted to talk about the strike. Instead, he asked me to run for the council. I told him, ‘I’m a fireman, I have no education.’ I just didn’t think politics was for me.”
Initially, he turned down the proposal, twice. But by September 2023, with the deadline approaching, he reconsidered.
“I thought, what have I got to lose? In October we started canvassing. It was really hard because I’m from here, and when I was knocking on doors people were saying, ‘What are you doing?’”
Before the campaign could take off, Blake faced an obstacle. Both Meath County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage initially ruled him ineligible to run. The reasoning was that, as a council employee, his candidacy would create a conflict of interest.
“They thought I couldn’t have two jobs from the council, so they tried blocking me from running,” he said.
A decision by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to reverse its position on firefighters contesting Local Elections paved the way for Cllr Blake to run.
In the 2024 local elections, he was the only newcomer to secure a seat in the Ratoath Electoral Area, taking the final position after a marathon two-day count.
“During the first vote I was under a lot of pressure. I was told I didn’t have a chance. People were coming up to me in the street, shaking my hand — and that made me sad because I thought I was going to let them down. When I was elected, it was pure shock.”
Cllr Blake said he has been learning the ropes of local democracy while also balancing his role as a firefighter.
“It’s really hard juggling being a councillor and a firefighter, but I’ve got the hang of it now and it suits me. I enjoy it.”
“You learn from the older councillors — how they speak, how they run meetings. You have to put in the work at the start to gain ground for yourself, and I think I’ve done that over the last year. You can’t help everyone exactly the way they want, but you do your best to be a voice for them.”
“If someone brings an issue to me, I try to represent them without fail,” the councillor said.
Earlier this year, local parents approached Cllr Blake about dog fouling on the main street.
“Some mothers told me they were coming across dog dirt when pushing buggies. The council wouldn’t put up a dog bin, so I sponsored dog litter bags myself and put them up on the wall.”
The village, which had around 700 residents when Cllr Blake was growing up, now has over 10,000.
“We’ve had a massive influx of people. The streets are the same, but the traffic is way up. I’d say we have the biggest volume of traffic in Meath. The roads are in a bad state, with potholes everywhere.”
Housing is another concern he raised, both locally and nationally.
“There aren’t enough social or affordable houses in Meath. I’d love to see the council buy more land for both. House prices and rents are through the roof. When we were canvassing, we saw so many adult children living with their parents because the housing crisis is so bad.”
He added: “People blame people coming into the country, but it’s not them — it’s the government not building enough houses. Before the famine, there were 8 million people living in Ireland; now there are only 6 million. There’s loads of room for everyone. Irish people have moved all over the world. You can’t be Irish and be anti-immigration or racist.”