Former RTÉ Midlands Correspondent Ciaran Mullooly has announced that he will be a candidate for Independent Ireland in the upcoming European elections this June.
Mullooly will be a candidate for the European Parliament elections in the Midlands-North West constituency for which five MEPs will be elected on June 6-9.
Mullooly said he will be a “strong presence” in Brussels on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) issues, nitrates legislation, disability issues, infrastructure and housing, and the next EU Just Transition Fund.
Around 70% of the legislation going through Leinster House has its origins at EU level, he said and criticised what he described as “unrealistic targets and proposed restrictions”.
“Restrictions on farming practices, ever-increasing rural isolation, changes to land use policy, and decisions made at an EU level that are making it harder to roll-out infrastructure and housing projects here at home are beyond a crisis point.
“The traditional means of employment across towns and villages in the Midlands-North West constituency are all under threat. I would go so far as to say that the threat from new EU and state policies has never been greater.
“We need to meet it head-on and deliver a team of MEPs who will push back on EU over-reach and advocate effectively for rural interests,” Mullooly said in his announcement.
Ciaran Mullooly
Since retiring from RTÉ in 2021, Mullooly has worked with the Roscommon LEADER partnership and most recently Longford Tourism.
He has also been engaged in the roll-out of the EU Just Transition Fund to support Bord Na Móna and ESB Networks transition away from peat extraction across the midlands.
He said he has chosen “to take leave” from his role in tourism promotion in Longford for the next number of weeks to “fully commit” to his campaign to run in the European elections.
Mullooly said the decision to join Independent Ireland was “an easy one” as he said the party’s focus on local issues, grassroots activism and “tangible solutions to real problems” resonates with him.
“Now is the time for change. Now is the time for the communities of rural Ireland to reclaim their power and shape their individual and collective destinies.
“I am confident I can win a seat in the European Parliament and continue to work to deliver for the people of this constituency,” the Independent Ireland candidate for Europe said.
Independent Ireland
Welcoming Mullooly to Independent Ireland, the party’s TD for Roscommon-Galway, Michael Fitzmaurice said Mullooly is “a straight shooter and a hard worker”.
“Mullooly is our candidate for Europe. His dedication to and understanding of the challenges facing rural communities make him a uniquely qualified candidate,” he said.
“Common sense is a rare thing in politics these days, and I have every faith that Ciaran will deliver a seat in Europe for the party of common sense in June,” Fitzmaurice added.
Independent Ireland leader, Michael Collins said he is “delighted” to welcome Mullooly to the party he founded with Limerick TD, Richard O’Donoghue, late last year.
“Ciaran is a true community man, he’s spent a lifetime working to build up his community and the wider fortunes of rural areas across the midlands,” Collins said.
General secretary of Independent Ireland, Richard O’Donoghue, TD for Co. Limerick, said it is volunteers and community workers like Mullooly who are the “lifeblood of our communities”.