Some 18 candidates have put their name forward for General Election in Donegal, including three Fianna Fáil, three Sinn Féin, two Fine Gael, two independents and eight members of smaller parties.
They are hearing firsthand the issues that constituents want raised in the next Dáil including the defective concrete homes, the cost of living and hospital overcrowding.
"It's great to have someone local [running] with Joe not going again," remarked an elderly farmer’s wife to Fine Gael candidate Senator Nikki Bradley in Milford.
Outgoing Deputy Joe McHugh, who is the only TD not standing again in Donegal, was alongside Senator Bradley to hear the positive comment on the canvass this week.
Mr McHugh who resigned the party whip two years ago because of issues with the defective concrete block redress scheme, is assisting the two Fine Gael candidates, Ms Bradley and business owner John McNulty in their efforts to retain his seat.
Senator Nikki Bradley, a disability advocate was nominated by the Taoiseach to the Seanad in the summer to replace the then newly-elected MEP Regina Doherty.
Ms Bradley was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, aged 16. She founded 'Fighting Fit For Ewing’s’, aimed at increasing awareness of the disease.
"I have lived experience as a cancer survivor and amputee. I want to be a new voice for Donegal," Ms Bradley says.
She spoke of issues facing young people, respite services, defective concrete homes and the campaign for a new school in Milford along the campaign trail.
Donegal is one of the constituencies to remain unchanged by the Electoral Commission’s work and retains five seats.
Each election since 2007 resulted in the loss of at least one incumbent: Cecilia Keaveney in 2007, Mary Coughlan in 2011, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn in 2016 and Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher in 2020.
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Now, Fianna Fáil candidate Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher hopes to retain the seat he lost four years ago.
"I may have lost my seat, but I didn't lose my contacts. Over the last five years, I continued to serve the people," he said.
"I've been serving the people of this area all my life as a councillor, as a TD and as an MEP.
"Quite honestly, I'm as fit today as I was 30 years ago when I ran for Europe in 1994," he added.
He says the cost of living, rural housing, hospital waiting lists, home care packages and planning issues along the N56 have been articulated at the doors in west Donegal.
Mr Gallagher alongside Minister Charlie McConalogue in Inishowen, and Claudia Kennedy hope to claim two seats for Fianna Fáil.
While waiting for our television interview on Killybegs pier yesterday, Deputy Thomas Pringle, who has been an independent TD since 2011, remarked on the number of boats moored.
"These boats are tied-up directly because of a lack of government support," he said.
"We need a government that is going to support fishermen into the future if we're going to see real changes."
Challenges facing hospitality sector
Deputy Pringle says numerous issues were highlighted at the doors over the past week, including difficulties with the defective concrete block scheme, hospital overcrowding, support for community hospitals, childcare provision and availability of gardaí in rural areas.
Along the canvass, Mr Pringle met with Mairéad and Garry Anderson, owners of Andersons Boathouse Restaurant and the Seafood Shack.
Mr Anderson strongly articulated the challenges facing them with increased PRSI, additional sick leave and auto enrolment pensions on the horizon.
"The last successive budgets really put our industry under pressure," he said.
"We're struggling and we need a little bit of help because hospitality sector is so labour intensive.
"We can't keep raising prices. We're at the maximum the public can take. I would love to see an opportunity in the future to make our business cheaper again and more affordable for families," he concluded.
Other people in Killybegs spoke about prospective cuts to the mackerel quota, the number of young people emigrating, as well as the development of the town centre.
Further afield in Letterkenny people reflected on challenges with the cost of living, housing, childcare and healthcare.
One lady remarked that she felt Letterkenny University Hospital staff were under significant pressure and needed more support immediately.
Concerns about the defective concrete block crisis are resonating across the county as the issue affects over 7,000 homes, community centres and childcare facilities.
One person in Letterkenny who wished to remain anonymous said they know their home is affected but they’re afraid to test it as they may be unable to insure their home while many years remain on the mortgage.
Ray Community Centre located between Milford, Rathmullan and Ramelton in the north Donegal countryside was built with defective concrete blocks.
The centre was built with a combination of EU funding and community fundraising does not fall under the government’s redress scheme as the scheme doesn’t extend to community facilities.
Cllr Declan Meehan, Chairperson of the Ray Community Centre, says there are many community facilities in a similar situation and he is calling for a specific support scheme to be established.
Bridie Rodgers who lives nearby says it would be heartbreaking if it were to close as she attends yoga, line dancing, two hand dancing, women on the move and a 25-card drive at the centre.
Indeed, the Raphoe Community Playgroup, who are in a similar predicament raised awareness of their plight when Taoiseach Simon Harris visited Letterkenny earlier this week.
Extenuating circumstances facing defective concrete homeowners featured on the campaign trail. The defective concrete block scheme requires that damaged houses must be rebuilt on the footprint of the original home.
'We're stuck in no man's land'
Louise and Sean Gibbons in Milford adapted their home for their teenage daughter, Emma, who has a significant disability and is a wheelchair user.
Given the challenges of sourcing appropriate interim accommodation, they want to rebuild in their garden and knock the defective dwelling when the new one is built.
"There are no adapted houses," said Mr Gibbons.
There's barely houses for people to rent.
"We have nowhere to go. We’re looking for the best for Emma.
"Emma can’t speak so we’re going to speak for Emma.
"You hear of people having to move into caravans and looking for places for rent.
"It’s a bit harder when there's a 16-year-old with a disability in the house. We're stuck in no man's land," he added.
'We are facing a crisis'
At Elm Park in Buncrana, residents who live in defective concrete homes had their homes flooded in August, 2017.
Róisín Gallagher, who lives in Elm Park says "families were left devastated [after the flooding]".
"They have defective blocks," she said.
"They’re dealing with the prospect of having to rebuild on a flood plain."
Redress 100% ran six candidates in last June’s council elections and returned four seats - more than Fine Gael’s three in Donegal County Council.
The Redress 100% candidate Charles Ward says he decided to stand because he feels they need to have their voices heard in Dublin.
"We need to have a candidate on the floor of the Dáil that's affected with defective concrete. My home is destroyed.
"We are facing a crisis.
"Anybody going into the scheme and remediating their house is going into debt, and the debt is anything between €80,000 - €200,000 depending on the size of house.
"Nobody has that kind of finance," he added.
Sinn Féin has announced Cllr Noel Jordan from Mountcharles in south Donegal will run alongside deputies Pearse Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn from Inishowen.
Deputy Mac Lochlainn who canvassed Elm Park in Buncrana last night said defective blocks is "a massive issue here in North Donegal".
"It's just devastated thousands of families. The problem here is that we didn't get 100% redress. What we have up here is a grant scheme that leaves people tens of thousands of euros short - over €100,000 in some cases," he said.
He added issues with a lack of private, social and affordable housing as well as healthcare are featuring on the canvass.
"These are the big issues on the doorsteps," he said.
"We want to give people hope that there's a chance for change and an option to give us that chance in the next five years," he concluded.
Several seasoned observers along the canvass remarked a significant cohort of the electorate may remain undecided.
The last few days in Donegal saw several more adding their name to the race, with 18 confirmed so far before Saturday’s noon deadline.
Confirmed candidates in Donegal at present are as follows: Carol Gallagher (People Before Profit-Solidarity), Charles Ward (100% Redress Party), Charlie McConalogue (Fianna Fáil), Claudia Kennedy (Fianna Fáil), Donna Murray (Independent Ireland), Eamon McGee (Irish Freedom Party), John McNulty (Fine Gael), Kevin Sharkey (Independent), Kim McMenamin (Irish People), Mary T Sweeney (Aontú), Niall McConnell (Independent), Nikki Bradley (Fine Gael), Noel Jordan (Sinn Féin), Nuala Carr (Green Party), Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Féin), Pat 'the Cope' Gallagher (Fianna Fáil), Pearse Doherty (Sinn Féin), Thomas Pringle (Independent),
