Hilary Beirne wants votes from those who can vote. He is standing for the Irish Senate in part to secure voting rights for those who can't vote.
The Roscommon native, who is long familiar in New York for his leading role in the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade, is standing as a candidate for the Irish Senate (An Seanad) in the National University of Ireland (NUI) constituency.
He states in a campaign release: "I am an educator, former agricultural adviser who introduced the wrapping of the build silage in the West of Ireland, and one of the organizers of NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade. My campaign revolves around improving U.S. Irish relations, advocating for NUI graduates and Irish Citizens at home and abroad.
"My priorities include: Advocate for the 1 million Irish born nationals (20% of Ireland’s population) who live abroad and have no representative in Ireland. Will help strengthen relations between Ireland and the U.S., as well as with the rest of the world Advocate for additional resources for NUI universities and education in general. Seek reciprocal agreements with countries and universities abroad for graduates. Actually represent NUI graduates in the Seanad.
"To ensure we can highlight and advocate for these important issues, I’m launching a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover the costs of the election campaign."
That page is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-elect-hilary-thomas-beirne-to-the-seanad.
Beirne has launched his own GoFundMe page. Only Irish citizens can contribute and any donations in excess of $500 will, according to Beirne, be "politely declined."
In the days ahead, and specifically on January 15, ballot papers for the election of the vocational panels will be issued. On January 30 polling for the vocational panels closes. The count begins shortly after polling closes. There is more at www.oireachtas.ie.
