McGuinness made Sinn Féin spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Community Development, and An Ghaeltacht

Waterford TD Conor McGuinness has been appointed the Sinn Féin spokesperson for Rural Affairs, Community Development, and An Ghaeltacht this week, as the party announces its team of junior spokespersons.

The Waterford TD described the appointment as “an honour” and said it will be his job “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 newly-elected TD said but noted concern that 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.” Deputy McGuinness pointed to large towns in the country not having community or family resource centres as “an indictment of Government inaction over recent decades.”

“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."

Hailing from An Rinn, the Déise Gaeltacht, the new junior spokesperson issued a statement saying,

“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.”

Making the appointment, Sinn Féin party President Mary Lou McDonald said she was “delighted” to appoint the Déise TD to the party’s “very strong, talented and dynamic” of junior spokespersons.

“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.”