Damian Boylan throws hat into election 2019 ring

My name is Damian Boylan and I have been chosen by Fine Gael to contest the next local elections in May 2019 for this area. I am a married man with two children aged 11 and 14, and I have been lucky enough to live in Blarney for most of my life.

Having worked and been involved in many aspects of village life over the past 10 years, I stood for local elections in 2014, narrowly losing out on a seat. Whilst disappointed that I would not be representing you, I was nevertheless pleased that the Blarney area had two local councillors on the new council.

Blarney faces new challenges in the coming years, given our new status as part of the expanded Cork City. This will present us with both challenges and opportunities, but ultimately I believe that the shift to the City is a good thing and we can work on the natural synergy that exists between Blarney and Cork City. I believe that Blarney, Kerry Pike, Cloghroe, Tower and surrounding areas have suffered by not having an obvious plan. The necessity for new housing is obvious but the infrastructure to support these new homes must be put in place, and this is something that needs to be addressed swiftly. I strongly believe that the community in Blarney deserves more local amenities, for example having no community centre has been an issue for as long as I have been here and has not been helpful in the setup and promotion of local community groups who, despite this, have thrived but could do so much more with a dedicated centre where ownership and usage rests with the community. These things are achievable, and I believe I am the person who can achieve these for you.

I have worked, and continue to work, with a number of organisations in Blarney to achieve positive outcomes for our village. I was a founder member of the Blarney Chamber of Commerce, a founder of the Blarney Person of the Year awards, now in their ninth year, and am currently Chairman of the Local Policing Forum and a member of the board of management of Gaelscoil Muscraí. I was responsible for the Cannonball Run stop in Blarney in 2018 which drew thousands to the village, and despite inhospitable weather, was a great success.

For the last 5 years I have also been the Local Area Representative for Fine Gael in Blarney and have worked with Ministers, TD’s and Senators to get funding for Blarney GAA, Muskerry RFC and our local schools. I have also worked with people on personal issues. I believe that your local councillor is the most important of all the political roles, being your first port of call when issues need to be addressed and dealt with. I promise to be available when required and will work with any and all groups who are dedicated to the growth and advancement of Blarney. As always I will continue to be available to individuals to help them deal with their issues. It will be vital that Blarney has strong energetic representation in the new City Council, and I know that I can fulfill this role. My actions speak louder than any words, and I have worked hard for Blarney in the past and will continue to do so, but this time with a mandate from the area to represent them, making our voice louder and more powerful.

Over the next months I will be knocking on doors in the area to introduce myself and I will be glad to answer any questions you have, or feel free to email me on damianboylan@live.com at any time, as I would love to hear what you think we need in our area, and how we can work together to make our community the best it can be.

Damian

Community