By Dan Walsh
The newly formed South Wicklow North Wexford Fine Gael Constituency will hold its first ever General Election Selection Convention tomorrow night (Monday) at 7.30pm in the Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey.
The South Wicklow North Wexford Constituency was formed following the Electoral Commission Review Report of 2023. With a population of over 85,000, this 3-seater Constituency currently has no sitting TDs and the upcoming election will be the first opportunity to elect representatives from the area.
With the retirement of veteran TD Deputy Paul Kehoe, and South Wicklow never having returned a Dáil Deputy, a new generation of candidates will be put forward to contest the upcoming General Election, which must happen before March 2025.
Two people have been nominated to the Selection Convention as candidate(s) for the Fine Gael Party in the upcoming Election: Brian Brennan and Cllr Peter Stapleton
CANDIDATE PROFILES
BRIAN BRENNAN is a Gorey-based businessman and hotelier who previously owned and ran the Brennan Hotel Group which owned the Arklow Bay Hotel. Brian has founded and supports six orphanages in Sri Lanka.
He is heavily involved through his family in local sports in Arklow and Gorey including: Arklow Rocks Parnell’s, Arklow Geraldines Ballymoney, Arklow Rugby and Naomh Eanna GAA, Gorey Rangers Football and Gorey RFC. Brian previously was a title sponsor of the Wicklow GAA Senior, U21 and Minor Teams.
His priorities include sustainable long-term development of Arklow and Gorey, developing and supporting local businesses and ensuring agriculture remains at the heart of the local economy
CLLR PETER STAPLETON was elected to Wicklow County Council in June 2024, as a first-time councillor. Peter lives in Tinahely and has deep roots to the area through Duffy’s of Hacketstown, a business founded by his great-grandfather. Though no longer in operation the importance of business and agriculture to all in the region was instilled in him from a young age and both remain core policy areas of his.
Peter graduated from UCD with first-class honours in Business and Law, before training as a chartered accountant and working in finance in Dublin and London. He returned to Ireland to manage his family’s landscaping business.
Peter is a keen sportsman and plays for Tinahely GAA where he also acts as Club Treasurer. He has hit the ground running as a councillor, calling on the council to tackle vacancy and dereliction, while lobbying for more funding for roads and footpaths in rural areas.
His priorities include helping local business and agriculture, developing and improving housing and infrastructure, reducing taxation and supporting towns and villages and reinvigorating local communities.
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