New Rosslare Labour candidate says it’s a ‘privilege to be given the opportunity to represent’ the people of his area
Labour Party local election candidate Damien Corish pictured at the launch of his campaign Kilrane Rosslare Harbour Community Centre on Wednesday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell
Pictured at the launch of Labour Party local election candidate Damien Corish's election campaign Kilrane Rosslare Harbour Community Centre on Wednesday evening were Cllr George Lawlor, Bernie Mullen, Damien Corish, Brendan Howlin TD, Catherine Walsh, Joe Ryan. Pic: Jim Campbell
Having been approached by the party in December and officially throwing his hat into the ring earlier this year, Labour’s Damien Corish says it is a “privilege” to run for election in his local area this summer. A native of Killinick, he will represent the party in the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD) in what is set to be a hotly-contested battle for the five seats on offer.
While he is a first-time candidate, Mr Corish has been a member of Labour for five years and has experience on its equality and intercultural executive committees, becoming vice-chair of the former. As a staunchly working-class resident of the RMD, he says he wants to help those living in the area to continue to live there and to improve housing options for those struggling to find their own homes.
“The delivery of houses in the district is atrocious and it needs to be addressed, but it has to be done in a socially just way where people are given a chance to own their own homes,” he says. “A lot of my contemporaries would have left the country, would be renting, it’s an endless cycle where you’re throwing money into a bottomless pit, that’s part of the capitalist system we live in, and with inflation it’s very hard for people to even begin to save for a mortgage.”
Although he hasn’t been able to attend any of the protests, Mr Corish says he is supportive of those campaigning to have a nursing home developed in Rosslare Harbour and believes the village is slowly being turned into an industrial centre.
“I support the development of Rosslare Europort into a tier one port, capable of servicing offshore energy and the creating of jobs in the area, but we’re going to lose out on tourism, the harbour itself is almost becoming more industrial,” he says, adding that a “functioning medical system” must be run in tandem with any widescale works in the area.
With Labour having taken a considerable hit in recent years, Mr Corish recognises the work required to bring the party back to its former standing, but he insists it has done a lot for Wexford over the years.
“The Labour Party has done so much for Wexford over the years, we have a record, Irish society wouldn’t be what it is today without the Labour Party, that’s a fact. I want to represent the people of the area and take action when they express their needs, it’s a privilege for me to be even given the opportunity,”
As for those currently representing the people of Wexford, he says their focus can be, on occasion, misplaced.
“It’s all about getting the credit for doing something rather than just doing it, which is ridiculous, a council should be about doing stuff for the people not about an individual getting credit.”
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