Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin has been selected as the People Before Profit candidate to contest the by-election in Dublin Central.
Eoghan achieved 4.5% of first preference votes in Dublin Central in the general election in November 2024. When combined with Clare Daly’s 4.0% first preference votes, it indicates that there is a seat in this constituency for the radical left.
Eoghan may be the only candidate from the left contesting the by-election who also contested last year’s general election.
Eoghan is a fluent Irish speaker and an award winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, with his musical roots in sean-nós singing. Last year he won RTÉ Folk Awards for Best Folk Singer and Best Original Folk Track.
Eoghan said:
“I’m proud to be selected as the People Before Profit candidate to contest the upcoming by-election for Dublin Central. The by-election will be another opportunity to reject Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and their failed, divisive policies.
“Dublin Central faces severe and deepening housing and cost of living crises as a result of successive governments prioritising the profits of developers and landlords over the needs of ordinary people. Dublin Central has a very high proportion of private renter households and in the campaign I will highlight the urgent need for rent controls and rent reductions. I will also make People Before Profit’s opposition to the recent Dublin City Council decision to increase rents for council tenants a central campaign issue.
“The cost-of-living crisis will also be a central focus of my campaign. Poverty levels among children, workers and retired people in Dublin Central are very high and getting worse as prices continue to soar. The cruel budget decision to end so many desperately needed income and cost-of-living supports has greatly increased the financial pressure on many, many households. I will be campaigning for the restoration of those supports and for price controls on energy, food and other essential goods to slash the cost of living.
“Is cainteoir dúchais Gaeilge mé agus tá mé ag iarraidh an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn chomh maith agus is féidir sa bhfeachtas seo. Catherine Connolly’s promotion of the Irish language during her election campaign was an important boost and I will seek to promote the language in my own election campaign. There has been a huge growth in interest in the Irish language and culture, but this has not been matched by government spending or support for those who wish to learn the language or use it on a daily basis.
“I have also campaigned to preserve cultural resources in the constituency and I’m proud to have been part of the successful campaign to save the Cobblestone as an important site for Irish and folk music. This week, we are seeing artists having to fight tooth and nail once again to save their spaces – a major campaign is kicking off to save The Complex, a vital resource for artists and musicians in the heart of the inner city.
“The by-election will also be another opportunity for the left to cooperate to win as we did in propelling Catherine Connolly to the Presidency. I will be calling for “vote left, transfer left” and for left parties to rule out coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, to ensure that the people of Dublin Central will be presented by a fighter for their interests”.