“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life" - Mayo councillor

by Conor Curran

AFTER a hard-fought campaign, Donna Sheridan is back for another term on Mayo County Council.

With many motions passed and lessons learned, she’s hoping to carry this knowledge into her role of cathaoirleach of Castlebar Municipal District, being the first female cathaoirleach in the area’s history.

Sheridan doesn’t let the male dominance of politics hold her down, though.

After her first election in 2019, she found herself as just one of two women on the county council. This time around, there’s only three.

“We need to get more women involved in politics. I’d love to hear a greater variety of voices on the council,” the Fine Gael representative says.

When it comes to proposed quotas, Sheridan is a bit more hesitant. “At the end of the day, we live in a democracy. While there might be quotas for candidates running, I don’t think there should be quotas for female candidates being elected.”

While she found the campaign tough, as many others did, Sheridan’s experience proved invaluable to her election.

She worked as the branch secretary, and then branch chair, in TUI. Following that she was elected on to the first board of the Education and Training Board (ETB).

“I was elected the first female staff rep by my colleagues across Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim. Prior to 2019 I would have had some experience of elections, but nothing on the scale of a local election.

“To get elected, it’s not an individual thing. It becomes your family, your friends, the support you have around you,” she reflects.

Sheridan refers specifically to Michael Ring as an essential help, and a huge loss to the county following his recent retirement. Despite the support, she acknowledges the inherent difficulty of running for a local election. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life - but it’s so worth it.”

The community around Councillor Sheridan is evidently very important to her, both her family and the wider Castlebar area.

You can often see her involved in local efforts such as Horror in the Barracks, and the upcoming You Must Be Joking fundraiser for Castlebar Golf Club and Cliff’s Journey.

While she doesn’t have too much comedy experience, she hopes her public speaking skills will prove helpful. Regardless, she knows the benefits that events like these have on the area.

“Horror in the Barracks is my favourite weekend of the year. It’s so fulfilling. The amount of hard work that goes into it is incredible. To see the community groups get the funding, the joy it brings, the people it brings into the town, there’s nothing like it.”

Councillor Sheridan’s passion for local events is also clear in her opposition to the relocation of the annual Mayo Women’s Mini Marathon to Ballina, despite it beginning in Castlebar.

“We are not the incubator for festivals to give them away when we get them up and running… It was meant to go to Ballina for one year, and now it seems to be gone completely. That’s very, very disappointing.”

Another topic at the core of Sheridan’s election, and seemingly her life in general, is her love for animals.

Her calls for an animal welfare officer in the area, and for a dog park at Lough Lannagh, stem from her childhood.

“I would’ve always been the one bringing home stray kittens. I have a huge love for animals, it’s a passion of mine.

“Going canvassing, or even walking the lake, you notice just how many people have dogs. Animal welfare is so important to me, and I know it’s important to a lot of people.”

Sheridan seems acutely aware of the issues facing the people of Castlebar and the wider area.

Her constant ear-to-the-ground approach may appear to be tough, but it’s all part of the job according to her.

“It’s not a 9-5, Monday to Friday. It’s about helping the community and listening to the people. The best ideas I hear come from the ground up.

“If I meet someone and they have an issue, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing, I’ll see what I can do to help them. Unfortunately, some of the things that are wanted aren’t always possible, or within the gift of the council.”

Sheridan hails from Balla, an area she believes could do with a bit more support when it comes to tackling speeding.

“I’m trying to get one of the digital speed cameras installed, just where you come into Balla. It pops out at you a bit more,” she said.

Another speed-related issue on Donna Sheridan’s mind is the work that goes into changing road signs every time the speed limit of an area is adjusted, something that will be happening quite often with the TFI’s proposed legislation to lower speed limits.

“The cost and the manpower involved in changing these signs is crazy.”

Sheridan’s proposed solutions is digital speed signs, which could be changed much easier.

Vacant housing and dereliction are also major issues on her radar.

The information evening held in May, taking place in Castlebar’s Scout Den, was a resounding success and informed citizens of the loans and grants they can avail of should they decide to take on a vacant house.

This stemmed from a motion put forward by Sheridan. “I’d love to see more information evenings.”

Seeing Sheridan in action proved that she is more than just aware of these issues, she’s determined to fix them in an efficient and timely manner.

Her ability to keep the ball rolling on issues is in full force during municipal district meetings, with her experience as a teacher proving useful whenever a disagreement arises.

Sitting in these meetings, it’s clear that Sheridan’s passion for her community is matched only by her determination to better it.