By Dan Walsh
Two motions centered around Youth Mental Health and Agriculture submitted by Local Election candidate Darragh McDonald through the Gorey branch of Fine Gael were passed at the parties Ard Fheis held in Galway last weekend.
The first motion was heard at the Building Healthy Communities Session and called on the government to address Youth Suicide in Ireland and to standardise mental health education in schools.
Mr McDonald said “mental health challenges and suicide is on the rise in this country. We need to acknowledge that we have not done enough to address this and must urgently put in place the proper supports to both fix the backlogs in our professional mental health services, and improve education so we can help identify when we ourselves, our friends and our family need professional help.”
The second motion was heard at the Agriculture and Food Session and called on the government to recognise the increased pressure on small and medium sized farms to make a living. The motion also called for a change in approach towards Ireland’s agricultural community with a focus on streamlining regulatory reporting and simplifying incentives for investments in green technology.
“We need to recognise and respect our agricultural community including farmers and contractors. I’m no farmer, but from canvassing throughout North Wexford, I’ve had the pleasure of talking to many who work in the sector. What I’ve seen is a community passionate about our land and their work and, who are far more in touch with the environment than I could ever hope to be,” said Mr McDonald.
Speaking on a potential General Election run on June 7th next, Mr McDonald told WexfordLocal.com; “I want to go where I can best represent the people of Gorey and North Wexford. My priority is the local elections, without success in them there is no general election run for me. Like in sport, there are steps in qualifying for the biggest events. Anyone who thinks you can or should go straight to the top without first proving yourself to the electorate is very naive, that type of politics belongs in another generation.”
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