Waterford TD Conor D McGuinness has been appointed as Sinn Féin spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Community Development, and An Ghaeltacht, by party president Mary Lou McDonald.
Sinn Féin this week announced its team of junior spokespeople, who will work alongside the party’s frontbench team.
Teachta McGuinness said:
“It is an honour to be appointed to this important position within the Sinn Féin team, with its three key areas of focus. My job is to hold the Government to account and to offer policies and solutions that improve people’s lives and outcomes for communities all across Ireland.
“Community is the bedrock of Irish society – sustaining and strengthening our nation, and enriching our lives. The value of community development has never been fully acknowledged by successive Governments. The wider community and voluntary sector is underfunded, undervalued and underappreciated. Investment in community facilities has not kept pace with the need across the state.
“The fact that there are large towns that don’t have a community centre or family resource centre is an indictment of Government inaction over recent decades. I look forward to working with community development workers, with local community and voluntary groups, and with national bodies to address these issues.
“Rural Ireland has been in decline for decades due to chronic underfunding of infrastructure, policies that make it ever more difficult for people to build a home in their own community, and a sense of neglect and indifference when it comes to the need for public services in rural communities, including policing, transport and post office services. I will be working closely with Sinn Féin’s senior spokesperson on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development, Louise O’Reilly TD.
“Mar Ghael agus duine atá ag tógaint clann sa Ghaeltacht ba mhór an ónóir dom seasamh leis an bpobal Gaeltachta agus lucht labhartha na Gaeilge mar úrlabhraí Shinn Féin. Beidh mé ag obair go dlúth le Aengus Ó Snódaigh chun cearta a chur chun cinn, chun scéimeanna pobail a chosaint, agus chun réiteach a fháilt ar an ngéarchéim tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht.
“As someone living and raising a family in the Gaeltacht, and now in my role as spokesperson, I will continue to stand with our Gaeltacht communities and the wider Irish language community. I will work with my colleague Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD to vindicate the rights of Irish speakers, to protect community schemes, and to address the housing crisis impacting our Gaeltacht areas.”
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said:
“I am delighted to appoint Conor McGuinness to this role as part of a very strong, talented and dynamic team across 16 portfolios of serious importance. Our junior spokespersons will work closely with the Sinn Féin frontbench team in offering policies and solutions to make life better for people and in relentlessly holding this government to account at every turn.
“I believe we have the right blend of experience and new perspectives for this team to have a real and positive impact in the time ahead. Our job is to ensure we build the alternative to perpetual Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael led governments and our team of junior spokespersons will play a vital role in articulating our vision of a better future for everyone.”
