Sean Gallagher hits Athlone on the campaign trail

Presidential hopeful Seán Gallagher spent a number of hours in Athlone on Monday, where he was met with a warm response from local people. And, doing his bit for local business, the Dragon even purchased some new shoes to keep him going on the campaign trail from Clark's shoe shop in Athlone Towncentre! The Cavan man was in Athlone on Monday morning at 8am for a Midlands Networking Group meeting in the Sheraton Hotel, followed by a coffee morning at Suede Cafe Bar in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and then a walk about in Athlone Towncentre around lunch time. Arriving at the Towncentre a little ahead of schedule, Mr Gallagher received a warm welcome from those he stopped to speak to and after popping into Clark's where he asked franchisee Martha Dolan how business was going locally, he was quickly persuaded to buy some new shoes for the campaign trail. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent about the main issues on the campaign trail, Mr Gallagher explained that he is on a 'listening tour' around the country, where he is listening to the people's issues, among them that the people want a president to represent Ireland abroad with vibrancy; that people are concerned about job creation and that there is a need to get rid of the negativity and focus on community spirit. He said people want a president who will send out the message abroad that Ireland is open for business and he said the fact that he has an entrepreneurial background and has been involved in job creation will help in that regard. "It's important to have the right image of Ireland abroad and we need to work hard to promote tourism, to promote industry, to promote our companies and products abroad and also to attract investment," said Mr Gallagher. He said the presidency should not simply be a ceremonial role and he believed it was important that the president would lead trade missions abroad. "As somebody who has been an entrepreneur, who has been on trade missions, I know the value that the president adds to those trade missions. The president abroad is perceived differently than we perceive the president here." And to those who argue that there is a role for the president in enterprise, Mr Gallagher said: "When Mary McAleese became president nowhere in the Constitution did it say that the president had a role in peace building but that's exactly what she and her husband Martin did over the last 14 years, culminating in the queen's visit so I want to shine a light on all little businesses that are working, the colleges and schools and enterprises that are doing things to create jobs. Governments can't create jobs, they create the conditions, competitiveness and credit flow, but it's ordinary people that create small businesses and they're the businesses that are going to create jobs and provide employment and most importantly entrepreneurship. "While thousands of people are going away we've a onus here to try and create the jobs for young people to keep them at home, but alternatively to bring them back when they're ready to come back too." He said it was time to rid the country of negativity and change the focus from things that aren't working to the things that area. "I see heroes everywhere in businesses struggling to survive, community leaders, youth leaders, people working with those with disability and the elderly and we need to celebrate and salute those heroes who are doing that work and we need to shine a light on that and we need to change the negative conversation, from what's not working to things that are and away from the problems to possibilities and most importantly we've got to work together - it's back to community spirit like never before," he said. Mr Gallagher added that both Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese had redefined the presidency from what it had been previously, saying: "Both of them had a vision - Mary McAleese had her vision about building bridges and Mary Robinson had her vision about the diaspora and about Mná na hÉireann and about social inclusion. Presidents don't have agendas or policies, they have themes and they were their themes because they were relevant and I think the next president, if it's going to be relevant, it's got to be the issues facing our country and that's unemployment, emigration and a lack of confidence." Speaking about the difficulties facing independent candidates, Mr Gallagher said that they didn't have the budgets or infrastructures that big parties do, but said it was clear that there was an appetite for an independent, adding that the presidency shouldn't be seen as a token or gift for any political party. "It is representing all the people and it should be up to ordinary people like myself and it's not just about me but it's about the message that I have. I work for people with disabilities, I have a disability, I work to support others to try and get jobs with disabilities, I've been unemployed a number of times and I work with people who are unemployed to give them confidence to reinvent themselves. I come from farming and agriculture, having been a farmer. I was youth worker, community worker, these are things the media hasn't seen yet but this is who I am and what I represent and so it's not just about me, it's about the message I want to bring forward, which is one of positivity, one of community, one of enterprise, job creation and most importantly a belief that we can shape our own future," he said. Speaking about his roots in the midlands, Mr Gallagher pointed out that his mother came from William Street in Tullamore where they had a small shop, Bracken's, and said his uncle Fr Lorenzo and aunt and uncle Simon and Josephine Bracken still lived in the area. "I spent many summer holidays down here. The midlands has its own challenges but it also has wonderful opportunities and focusing on what's positive around the area, support local business, support local shops, work together as communities to do what you can for each other. It's all about us helping each other to get ourselves out of this," he said.