Aengus O’Rourke to remain in local politics despite Seanad setback
Fianna Fáil Cllr Aengus O'Rourke has made the decision to remain in local politics, despite the bitter disappointment of failing to secure a nomination to contest the upcoming Seanad elections.
Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, the Athlone native admitted that having lost out by a mere six votes on taking a seat in the Seanad in 2020, he was “bitterly disappointed” at failing to secure a nomination this time around and had given consideration to quitting politics.
“I did a lot of soul searching over Christmas, and I really needed that time out to reflect on my future and to consult with my family and my supporters,” he said.
“I've decided that I'm not going to do anything rash as I have a lot of issues I want to advance, with the main focus being the IPAS legal challenge.”
Cllr O'Rourke said his bid to become a Senator was “a 10-year project” and he felt he had “a very real chance” of taking a seat in the forthcoming elections.
“I was told I was getting the nomination on a Friday and the offer was withdrawn the following Monday by which time it would have been too late to make my pitch for an alternative nomination,” he explained.
Having been nominated in 2020 by the Irish Conference of Professional and Service Association (ICPSA), the local councillor said he was “confident” of once again being nominated by them, so he was “shocked and dismayed” when the organisation decided to nominate only two candidates instead of five.
With the ICPSA deciding to nominate only two candidates, one of whom was sitting Fianna Fáil Senator for Monaghan, Robbie Gallagher, who is an ex-member of An Garda Siochána, O'Rourke said he knew his Senate campaign was “effectively over” even though he had been actively lobbying fellow councillor all over the country for the previous six months.
“I had done a lot of work on the ground, so it was a very bitter blow and it left me feeling very disillusioned, but it's not the first time I have been disillusioned with politics and there have been many times when I would have considered giving up,” he candidly admitted.
After a period of reflection, and having received “huge encouragement” in the form of “phone calls, cards and personal messages of support” from people of all political persuasions, Cllr O'Rourke said he would remain on as a local Fianna Fáil councillor.
Having been a public representative for the past 15 years, he said the nature of the job had “changed dramatically” with the advent of social media which has been “the main driver of certain agendas.”
The recent immigration issue in Athlone has made the job of local elected representatives “much more difficult” he says, adding that he has been “shouted at and spat at” on the streets of Athlone in recent weeks and has had all sorts of “untrue allegations” levelled at him.
“I feel there has been an erosion in respectability in recent years due to social media, and it has affected everyone working in public-facing roles, from school principals to bus drivers to people working behind the counter in a bank. It's not just politicians.”
Cllr O'Rourke said the all-pervasive nature of social media is the “number one issue” dissuading people from putting their names forward for election at both local and national level, and he expects this to become more pronounced in the future.
Having made his own decision to remain on as a local councillor, the Athlone man said: “One never knows what opportunities may arise down the road, so it is full steam ahead as far as I'm concerned.”