Constituency: Longford-Westmeath

Westmeath councillor Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran will stand under the banner of the Independent Alliance when he contests the upcoming general election. A popular figure locally, the Independent councillor has consistently topped the poll in the Athlone ward, receiving 16.8 pc and 21.78 pc respectively during the 2009 and 2014 local elections. He is running on a platform that has Longford/Westmeath at its centre, and Cllr Moran says if elected he will be bringing local issues to the forefront during his time in the Dáil.

James Bannon (57) has been a TD for Longford-Westmeath since 2007, where he received close to 14 pc of first preference votes. Prior to entering Dáil Éireann, he was Fine Gael’s Spokesperson on Environment, Local Government and Heritage in the Seanad, which he was elected to in 2002 by an Industrial and Commercial Panel. Before going into politics he worked as a farmer and auctioneer in Legan, County Longford. Deputy Bannon was first elected to Longford County Council in 1985 and during this time he became the youngest Chairperson of the council. Mr Bannon has been critical of the Government’s Rural Resettlement scheme, whereby Dublin families taken over vacant homes in rural Ireland, saying that other counties should not have to shoulder the burden of Dublin’s lack of social housing.

Having previously missed out in the 2007 and 2011 general elections, Fine Gael councillor Peter Burke is contesting Londford Meath for a third time. A chartered accountant, he was elected to Westmeath County Council on his second attempt in 2009. Re-elected in the 2014 local elections, Cllr Burke is native of Clonmore and says that he will be a strong voice for Longford/Westmeath and a voice for reform in Ireland.

Having stood as an Independent in two local elections, as well as a by-election, Brian Fagan is running for the first time as a general election candidate for the Independent Alliance. Owner of ‘Brian's Treasure Chest’ charity shop in Mullingar, the Independent is focused on seeing an end to USC, water charges, and property tax. Among his other priorities for office is jobs, healthcare, and holding the Government to account.

The second part of Fianna Fáil's ticket in Longford-Westmeath, Connie Gerety-Quinn (48) wants to see Longford get priority when it comes to investment. A manager at Longford Citizens information Service, this is the first time the mother-of-three has run for election.

A first time candidate, fast food worker Stephanie Healy (27) is standing on a platform calling for the direct democracy – wherein constituents can recall their elected officials and vote on State policy via referendum. Ms Healy holds an honours degree in Psychology and Sociology from University of Limerick.

Sinn Féin's candidate for Longford-Westmeath, Paul Hogan (32) has been a local councillor since 2014. A former mayor of Athlone town, he previously stood for the party in the constituency's 2014 by-election. Securing 15.4 pc of the vote, Cllr Hogan was only eliminated before the final round of counting took place. Mr Hogan believes that rural Ireland is under attack with proposed wind farms, turf cutting restrictions and the closure of Garda stations and post offices, and wants to fight back against these measures.

Independent candidate Donal Jackson is making his third attempt at securing a Dáíl Éireann seat. A first-time candidate in the 2011 general election, the business consultant polled at 0.2 pc of the vote. Excluded after count one, he when on to contest the constituency's 2014 by-election, were he was eliminated after having received 238 first preferences (0.5 pc of the total votes cast). He lists transport, health, energy, and agriculture as his key areas of interest.

Notable television and radio personality Manchán Magan (45) is running for the Green Party in Longford-Westmeath. The travel journalist, who regularly contributes to the Irish Times and Newstalk, believes that the region is “ripe for small-scale, sustainable development” due to its abundance of natural resources. His priorities include renewable power generation via biogas plants and wind turbines, developing the tourism potential of Longford-Westmeath's lakes, rivers and peatland wildernesses, and a nation-wide home-retrofitting scheme - with grants covering insulation, damp-proofing and double-glazing costs.

Gabrielle McFadden (48) was elected to the Dáil at the 2014 Longford–Westmeath by-election, which resulted from the death of her sister Nicky McFadden. Having previous served as a councillor in Athlone for five years, the mother-of-two comes from a family with a long record of public service. Prior to being elected as a TD, Deputy McFadden was Mayor of Athlone from 2013 to 2014 – a position her father held until his death. A member of the Public Accounts Committee since December 2014, Ms McFadden lists her priorities as regional investment, quality broadband for rural areas, and promoting a stronger agriculture food sector.

Athlone native Noel McKervey is campaigning for greater Catholic representation in Dáil Éireann. A retired clerical officer, he feels that as a candidate he can better reflect the “overwhelmingly Christian ethos” of Longford/Westmeath. This is his first time running in a general election.

Westmeath-based candidate James Miller (63) is campaigning as a member of the Public Banking Alliance, which aims to set up public banks on a regional basis. A community activist in the area an farmer, he is a retired member of the Defence Forces and says that publicly-owned regional banks would provide much needed support to families, communities and local businesses.

Longford businessman James Morgan (44) will contest the general election under the umbrella of the Independent Alliance. A qualified chartered accountant, Mr Morgan says “vigorous independent voices” are needed in Dáil Eireann so that constituency's such as Longford-Westmeath are not overlooked. Alongside improves to the infrastructure in Longford, the Independent Alliance candidate wants to roll out “reasonable broadband” across the region and replace child benefit with a payment linked to school attendance.

A prominent anti-austerity campaigner, this will be Dominic Parker's first time running for election. The Anti-Austerity Alliance candidate is actively involved with local protest groups in his area and has long campaigned against water charges. Aside from rolling back on austerity, other key causes for Mr Parker include ending evictions against family homes, imposing rent control, mortgage write downs and more social housing.

Willie Penrose (59) has topped the poll in every general election he has stood in since 1997. Gaining his seat in the Dáil in 1992, the Longford-Westmeath TD has remained popular with voters – never failing to gain less than 8,000 first preference votes every election he has stood in since 1997. He served as Minister of State for Housing and Planning from March to November 2011 before resigning his position, and the Labour Party whip, over the closure of Mullingar barracks. He later rejoined the Labour party in 2013. A qualified barrister and a father-of-three, Deputy Penrose is one of the longest serving members of the Dáíl at 23 years. Shortly before the 2011 elections, he was diagnosed and successfully treated for prostate cancer.

Longford based councillor Mae Sexton is hoping to regard the Dáil sit she lost in the now defunct Longford-Roscommon constituency. A former Progressive Democrats TD from 2002 to 2007, Ms Sexton ran as a Labour candidate in the 2011 general election. She has more than 15 years experience working at both the local and national level.

As an Independent standing for Longford-Westmeath, businesswoman Barbara Smyth (48) wants to bring local issues to the heart of Government. A former Sinn Féin candidate in the 2014 local elections, she left the party over concerns that it was ignoring Longford in favour of Westmeath. Ms Smyth says she plans to speak up for Longford “at every opportunity” because successive governments have neglected the area for too long. The Independent candidate opposes water charges and zero hour contracts, also wants to see the end of the JobBridge scheme.

The youngest member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party and its current spokesperson for Children, Robert Troy (33) was elected to Longford–Westmeath constituency in 2011. In claiming his seat, he beat out two sitting Fianna Fáil TDs (Peter Kelly and former cabinet minister Mary O'Rourke) to become the sole parliamentary member of the party in the area. A member of Westmeath County Council for the Mullingar West from 2004 to 2011, Deputy Troy was the former Postmaster for the Ballynacargy Post Office. The 33-year-old previously served as Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on Arts and Heritage.