The process to replace Willie Aird on Laois County Council is set to be a straight-forward process.
Paddy Buggy is to be co-opted unopposed at a Fine Gael party convention this Sunday meaning he’ll be able to take his place at Monday’s full council meeting.
In correspondence to party members today, Fine Gael’s regional organiser for the Midlands North West, John Lohan confirmed that Buggy was the only nominee.
Buggy grew up in Shaen outside Portlaoise and now lives in Kyletalisha. He attended The Heath NS, Portlaoise CBS and has an electronics degree from the old Carlow RTC.
He works as manager of the Mountmellick Development Association (MDA) but is also a part-time tillage and beef farmer with land in Clonaslee and at his home in Kyletalisha.
He has contested the Local Elections on three occasions, most recently in June when he got over 1,110 votes in the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District.
He was in sixth place after the first count but ultimately lost out on the last seat to Fianna Fáil’s long-serving Seamus McDonald.
He had previously been a candidate in the Portlaoise area in 2009 when he was beaten by 11 votes by Fianna Fáil’s Catherine Fitzgerald in a marathon recount that went on for nearly a week. Prior to that he had also contested the 2004 elections in the old Mountmellick area.
“Some people were good at football, some people were good at playing guitars. I was no good at any of those things, but I had this love of politics since I was a teenager,” he said in his LaoisToday Local Election podcast interview earlier this year.
“And I’d be watching the political programmes on television and my family would be giving out if we wanted to watch a soccer match or something.”
“Fine Gael had a terrible General Election in 2002,” he added as he recalled his first campaign as a candidate.
“I became constituency chairman in 2002 and my job was to rebuild the organisation within the county.
“And I suppose I put too much of my focus on that rather than being a candidate. And I had a miserable outing on that occasion in 2004.
“2009 then, I was moved to the Portlaoise area and I (battled) with Catherine Fitzgerald for the last seat.
“I lost the recount by 11 votes on the 11th of June. That figure has burnt into my brain.”
Buggy’s co-option will be confirmed at the Fine Gael convention in the Killeshin Hotel on Sunday night. It will be the third time in just over four years that the party have had to co-opt a new member.
PJ Kelly replaced Tom Mulhall in 2021 while Barry Walsh came in instead of Mary Sweeney in 2023.
Buggy will take his seat in Laois County Council on Monday just two days before Willie Aird attends the new Dáil on Wedneday.
SEE ALSO – Check out all our 2024 General Election coverage here
