This article is from page 4 of the 2013-07-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
A CLARE woman is proposing to go where no woman has ever gone before – into Clare county council chambers as a Fianna Fáil county councillor.
Clare Colleran Molloy is aware however that her biggest challenge is to first get through the hotly-contested Fianna Fáil convention for the Ennis Electoral Area.
At least 15 people are expected to contest the convention for the new constituency, and it is very likely she could be the only woman in this contest, especially if former independent candidate Rita McInerny opts to contest the West Clare Fianna Fáil convention.
The Quin woman is a complete novice when it comes to elected politics, but has worked with community and charitable organisations.
A barrister by profession, she has also helped to run a restaurant with her husband Tony Molloy, formerly of Tony’s Fashions, Ennis, in her hometown of Quin.
The Clare woman spent a number of years living and working in Florida, returning home in 2002, and selling her American home and moving back on a permanent basis in 2007.
At the time she saw a lot wrong with politics in Ireland.
“While Fianna Fáil was in my blood I saw a lot of problems when I came home. I remember a news report from the time saying the Government was surprised with the surplus and did not know what to do with it, and thought this was bad forward planning,” she said.
She told The Clare People that she felt that the time was now right for her to begin a political career, aware that more female voices need to be heard in the council chambers and the Dáil.
She has returned to the law library and she and her husband are in the process of selling the restaurant, allowing her more time to the law and a possible political career.
“Fianna Fáil is on its knees and needs new blood,” she said.
For the first time ever the convention will be run on a one person one vote selection process, which Ms Colleran Molloy believes may be an advantage to her in the two month run up to the convention.
“It allows me as a new comer to ruffle some feathers,” she said.
There has never been a female Fianna Fáil county councillor in Clare and the party fielded just on female candidate in the last county council elections – Michelle Moroney in the Ennistymon Electoral Area.