Moate man to contest local elections

Moate man Shane Lynam will be running in the local elections in June for the Irish Freedom Party.

Mr Lynam, who has his own health and safety business and is the PRO of the Moate Town Team, said he would be seeking a Westmeath County Council seat in the Moate electoral area.

Having previously been a member of the Labour Party, he joined the Irish Freedom Party, which has conservative positions on issues such as immigration, two years ago.

"After having a look at the Irish Freedom Party's policies on their website, I found there were themes of sovereignty and self-governance that resonated with me," he said.

Mr Lynam said a Westmeath cumann of the Irish Freedom Party was established in September 2022, and that the party now had 32 members in Westmeath.

He told the Westmeath Independent that if he was elected he would hope to "bring a voice of common sense to the table" on the immigration issue.