New boundaries, new TDs — but is Wicklow-Wexford seeing real change?
The Wicklow PeopleIt’s now more than a year since the creation of one of Ireland’s newest constituencies, but what have the new TDs representing the people of south Wicklow and north Wexford achieved?
The new Wicklow-Wexford three-seat constituency was formed following a review in 2023 by the Electoral Commission, which also resulted in both the Wicklow and Wexford constituencies moving to four-seat constituencies.
These changes were designed to bring the Dáil in line with the constitutional requirement to have one TD for every 30,000 people.
The new electoral area takes in 31 electoral districts in south Wicklow with a population of 35,708, along with 41 electoral districts from north Wexford and 59,743 voters. The constituency runs from just south of Wicklow town to just south of Kilmuckridge, and includes Rathdrum, Aughrim and Tinahely in County Wicklow, along with Bunclody, Courtown and most of County Wexford north of Enniscorthy, although Enniscorthy town remains in the Wexford constituency.
The three main parties now fill those new seats, following the 2024 general election, with 10 candidates having been in the race, including two sitting councillors.
First-time politician Brian Brennan, a hotelier, comfortably topped the poll for Fine Gael and was the only candidate to exceed the quota.
Former Fianna Fáil senator Malcolm Byrne and Sinn Féin councillor Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin were never far behind.
All three representatives live around Gorey, on the Wexford side of the county border. However, Mr Brennan has done business in Arklow for some 25 years, having run the Arklow Bay Hotel.
A councillor in Wexford from 1999 to 2019, in February 2020 Deputy Byrne lost his Dáil seat at the general election and became the second shortest serving TD, after Kieran Doherty, who died on hunger strike in August 1981.
Reflecting on his first year as a Wicklow-Wexford TD, Deputy Byrne said the he believes the constituency is making a difference.
“I believe the new constituency is a positive thing. I think it presents a new opportunity. There are many common issues between the people in both Wicklow and Wexford. For me there was a logic to the decision of the Independent Electoral Commission.
“It’s a big area, and as people who live here know, after the General Election in 2020 there was no TD elected from the south Wicklow or north Wexford areas. Geography obviously matters, but I think what’s particularly important is that we perform at a national level, being able to enact legislation that makes a difference and represent the area effectively.”
Along with big-ticket items like the Arklow to Shillelagh Greenway and Aughrim Wastewater Treatment Plant, which have both seen some modest progress over the past year, the completion of Arklow’s Wastewater Treatment Plant will trigger a wave of residential development, adding increased stress on already overburdened transport, healthcare, education and childcare services in the area.
With a population of 16,000 people, residents in Arklow still have no venue to put on a show, no town park and a lack of proper sports facilities.
Gorey is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland, which also gives rise to challenges in the provision of school places and healthcare as well as the increased demand for housing.
Overtly aware that communities across south Wicklow have been crying out for a representative in the Dáil, Brian Brennan and Malcolm
Byrne hoped their election would help expedite long desired and sorely needed infrastructure improvements in the region, so much so they both opened a constituency office on Arklow’s Main Street to hear directly from those living and working in the area.
Over the past 12 months, Deputy Brennan has reached out to all stakeholders involved in pursuing this goal, including property owners, the local authority and Wicklow County Council’s chief executive.
After opening his constituency office, Deputy Brennan said the Main Street of any provincial town is its heartbeat and “credit must go to existing traders for continuing to trade when footfall is at such a low level”.
However, the issue of vacancy and dereliction in the town remains a bone of contention for local representatives and stakeholders.
A recent review conducted by An Taisce around vacancy and dereliction, revealed Arklow to be one of the “most problematic locations in the country”.
The environmental conservation organisation criticised Wicklow County Council for “systematically failing” to register derelict and vacant buildings and impose financial levies.
As a representative of both urban and rural areas, Deputies Brennan and Byrne are acutely aware of the infrastructure challenges facing north Wexford and south Wicklow, having repeatedly highlighted the need for better industry and manufacturing in the region, noting that local communities are often overlooked when it comes to economic development.
Attracting that economic development into the region looks to remain a challenge, after Merck announced its plans to discontinue operations at the Arklow facility by the end of 2028. Merck Life Science has long been a large employer in the town, with upwards of 100 staff employed there.
Deputy Byrne said the development was “a serious setback for the local community and for the many families who have been supported by employment at the Merck site since its establishment”.
He said the loss of the jobs would have “a profound impact on the local economy”.
Meanwhile Fionntan Ó Súilleabháin, who was a councillor in the Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District for 10 years prior to his election, made several calls during his maiden speech in Leinster House that remain matters of priority for him 12 months later.
“We need to upgrade the outdated rail link from Wexford and Wicklow to Dublin; also, to develop a new exit in Arklow to the M11 motorway.
“Similarly, we need to see tangible progress on the inner relief road for Gorey, linking to the M11 as a matter of urgency. We need to see more bus stops for Arklow’s growing suburbs and an expansion of the Local Link Bus services for our rural villages.
“There needs to be a support network for Arklow’s fishermen, including CJ Gaffney and his family, whose shocking case was often mentioned during the last term. I want to see justice for CJ and his family.”
Incentivised by the prospect of becoming Arklow’s first TD, two sitting councillors in Pat Kennedy and Peir Leonard both put their names forward for the 2024 general election, having competed for the lion’s share of the Wicklow vote in the local elections, with the former holding greater sway in Rathdrum, Aughrim and rural areas, and the latter boasting a loyal voter base in her hometown of Arklow. However, they both didn’t manage to take a seat, forcing them to watch from the side lines.
When the boundary changes were first announced in 2023 Cllr Leonard believed the new constituency could be a gamechanger.
“Look it, it certainly can’t make things any worse down here. I’m open to any changes that will put Arklow on the map because, at the moment, it feels like a forgotten town.”
“The community needs this change,” she said. “We need to thrive, and currently, we’re just surviving because there’s no investment, and a lot of that stems from the lack of representation here.
“It’s so important to have someone local in the government who is intrinsically linked to the local community.”