Adam O Ceallaigh is youngest person to ever contest a seat on Leitrim County Council

Adam Ó Ceallaigh, a Green candidate in the Ballinamore Local Electoral Area, holds the distinction of being the youngest person to ever contest a seat on Leitrim County Council (by quite some margin).
Mr Ó Ceallaigh, who has just finished his degree in Trinity College Dublin, studying Geography and Political Science, spoke to the Leitrim Observer this week about what he hopes to achieve if elected.
He said, “People ask me if I always saw a career in politics and I tell them that I wasn't interested in running until Bláithín Gallagher contacted me last Summer and said there were no Green candidates running in the area and it was important to give people the option to vote for a Green candidate if they want to.”
He said the more he looked at the council, “the more I saw that it doesn't represent the diverse ranges of voices that we have present in the county; there's no young voices, very few female voices and there's very few people from minority backgrounds which are probably the least represented people across the board in the council or in the Dáil or the Seanad and they probably need that voice there the most in order to have their needs addressed.”
Mr Ó Ceallaigh said that he was happy to go ahead when approached by his colleague adding that “I'm also fulfilling another gap of bringing forward a diverse voice onto the council. Now that I'm actually into the job and knocking on doors and helping people by trying to get estates taken in charge and having a tree removed that was potentially going to fall on the road and going to the shops for people; seeing that you can have a real impact in people's lives. It's amazing and it's something that I love.
“It's not that I love the politics or the notoriety that might come with it - I genuinely enjoy chatting to people and hearing people's issues and hearing diverse perspectives and trying to understand where they're coming from and then also telling my side of the story and then seeing where you can meet in the middle; I think there's something really beautiful about that.”
He continued that he felt a big issue in politics is “people being set in their ways, whether that be party lines in Leitrim or viewpoints on different issues present at the minute or that have been present over the past few years.
“If you go into a conversation with someone, you need to show empathy and compassion and try and understand where they're coming from because there is a reason people think the way they think and until you actually appreciate where they're coming from and where their opinion has been formed, there's no point in continuing a conversation.”
In terms of policies, Mr Ó Ceallaigh said that community is his number one concern. “What community means to me is the people in it, the connections to it and the environment around it. What I mean by the people in it is making sure there are jobs for young people; making sure that young people see social opportunities and don't feel that they have to leave to Australia or Canada or the UK in order to fulfil this idea of being a young person.
“It's also about ensuring that older people can stay connected to their communities through supporting your Active Age groups, etc. Ensuring economic opportunity and social opportunities are present in the community.
“Connections to the community means broadband to connect people online but also public transport. Only 60% of Leitrim right now is covered by broadband and in 2024 Ireland, that seems crazy to me so that's something I'm really passionate about pushing.”
He continued that for his dissertation he focused on the Local Link in Leitrim. “I understand the issues that are there with it but I also understand the positives and impact that it has had in communities because the thing about public transport is it affects the extremes of the demographics. It affects young people who aren't old enough to drive yet or can't afford to keep a car on the road and insure it, etc.
“It also allows older people, who again might not be able to drive anymore or can't afford a car anymore, to stay connected and independent and I think that's the importance of public transport.
“I'm really passionate about seeing the routes extended and expanded and new lines coming in over the next few years because we've done great but we just need to have someone on the council that uses public transport actively and is aware of the issues and passionate.
“I don't own a car myself and live in Drumshanbo and when I go canvassing in Ballinamore, I hop on my bike and cycle into town and jump on the bus and then get the bus back and cycle home.
“I'm not advocating for getting rid of cars in rural Ireland; I'm just noting the importance of public transport to allow people to have independence and keep them connected.”
He said that protecting the environment in the county is also hugely important to him.
“Protecting nature and ensuring that Leitrim doesn't get planted further with non-native Sitka spruce forestry that supports nobody, certainly not biodiversity, and barely supports farmers.
“Also ensuring that farmers can have a sustainable industry going into the future and that agriculture becomes sustainable and by that I mean environmentally sustainable; making sure that nature is looked out for which is what farmers have always done.
“Economic sustainability - ensuring that farmers are getting paid a fair wage, getting a fair amount for their produce and that it's actually a viable career.
“Social sustainability is also vital which means ensuring that farmers in Leitrim who are looking to pass on the farm to a son or daughter can do so.
“Oftentimes that son or daughter might want to go to Australia because they don't see a life for themselves in Leitrim and it's about making sure that gap is bridged so that farming is socially sustainable and there is someone to pass it on to. They are my priorities,” he concluded.