By Dan Walsh
Last Friday was a busy day for Fine Gael in the new North Wexford and South Wicklow constituency and, in particular for local General Election candidate Brian Brennan who was delighted to welcome Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohue and An Taoiseach Simon Harris to events in Gorey and Arklow.
The visit began with a highly successful budget breakfast briefing with Minister Donohue and Brian Brennan at the Loch Garman Arms Hotel, where over 100 attendees gathered to hear insights from Minister Donohue on Budget 2025 and to challenge the Minister on areas, they felt were missed including roads funding, the disability sector and VAT thresholds.
At the briefing Brian Brennan stressed the connection between Arklow and Gorey and repeated his commitment to work for the business communities in North Wexford and South Wicklow.
Following the breakfast event Minister Donohue joined General Election Candidate Brian Brennan and Cllr Darragh McDonald in visiting several businesses in the town to hear their views on the budget.
Speaking on the Minister’s visit, Cllr McDonald outlined how important it is for senior politicians to be willing to engage on the ground. “Minister Donohue’s visit to Gorey is a clear commitment to the town’s future development by senior politicians which has been missing for the last number of years. Hearing first hand people’s views on the budget is critical and it was refreshing to see Minster Donohue’s engagement and interest in hearing people’s feedback both positive and negative on this year’s budget,” stated Cllr McDonald.
Following the briefing, Taoiseach Simon Harris visited the Bridgewater Shopping Centre in Arklow, where he received a warm and enthusiastic reception from shoppers, local business owners and recent sports winners from the Arklow Rocks, Geraldines and the Arklow Viking Special Olympics club. Speaking on the first official visit of the Taoiseach to Arklow Brian Brennan acknowledged the Taoiseach’s commitment to our communities, and the warm welcome he received reflects the strong support for Fine Gael’s initiatives in the area.
“The visit of two senior politicians to the new Wicklow Wexford constituency is a clear indication of the serious attention the government is taking to the needs of the areas going forward. If elected I will be a new voice for the area that has been lacking representation for too long and I will continue to ensure both Gorey and Arklow receive the attention they deserve along with the corresponding investment to allow them to continue to thrive, ” concluded Mr. Brennan.
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