By Chinedu Onyejelem

More than 50 candidates who are running in the May 24 local elections across the country were born outside of Ireland or the UK - almost double the number that stood in 2014.

Metro Éireann has learned that 31 of these candidates are running in different election areas in Dublin’s four local authorities, with the rest spread all over the country.

Dr Adrian Kavanagh, a lecturer in the Maynooth University Department of Geography who has been tracking the list of new Irish (non-Irish/UK nationals) candidates contesting the 2019 local elections, believes that the number of new Irish candidates is small compared to the size of their communities.

“Non-Irish nationals currently account for 11.3 per cent of the Irish population based on the most recent Census of 2016, with this percentage falling to 9.1 per cent when UK nationals are taken out of this group,” he said.

“If the proportion of successful non-Irish/UK nationals local election candidates at the local elections was similar to this level, there would be 86 new Irish councillors,” he wrote on his website.

Just before the deadline for nominations, Dr Kavanagh predicted that no less than “seven new Irish candidates are running for the Green Party and six new Irish candidates are running for Fine Gael, while at least four candidates are running for Fianna Fáil, four candidates are running for the Labour Party, three candidates are running for People Before Profit and two candidates are running for the Social Democrats.

“Thirteen new Irish candidates are contesting this election as independents/non-party candidates.”

At press time, out of the 50 candidates a total of 28 are running under various parties, including seven Green Party, seven Fine Gael, five Fianna Fáil, four Labour, three People Before Profit and two Social Democrats.

The remaining 23 are running as independents/non-party.

With five candidates from various nationalities, Dublin City Council’s North Inner City ward has the highest number of new Irish contestants, followed by Ballyfermot-Drimnagh (Dublin City Council), Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart and Ongar (both in Fingal) as well as Ennis in Co Clare, which have three new Irish candidates each.

However, several local authorities have no candidates born outside of the State. They include Carlow, Galway County, Kerry and Kildare. Others are Kilkenny, Leitrim and Louth.

In Dublin City’s Pembroke ward, Irish-born Chinese candidate Hazel Chu is standing for the Green Party.

The candidates and their electoral areas...

Clare
Ennis (7 seats):
Amanda Major IND
Andre Hakizimana Non-Party
Alfonso D’Auria Non-Party

Cork County
Carrigaline (6 seats):
Catriona Reid GP
Bandon-Kinsale (6 seats):
Gordon Reid GP

Cork City
Cork City South Central (6 seats):
Lekha Menon Margassery IND
Cork City South West (7 seats):
Tjltske De Vres PBP

Donegal
Letterkenny (7 seats):
Thoiba Ahmed IND

Dublin City
Ballyfermot-Drimnagh (5 seats):
Sophie Nicoullaud GP
Obi Ekoba FG
Nicky Uzell I4C
North Inner City (7 seats):
Ellie Kisyombe SOCDEM
Imran Khurshid FF
Marius Marosan IND
Marcin Czechowicz IND
SG Raja Sekhar Reddy IND
South West Inner City (5 seats):
Ammar Ali FF

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Blackrock (6 seats):
Reji Chacko Jacob IND
Glencullen-Sandyford (7 seats):
Kazi Ahmed FG

Fingal
Balbriggan (5 seats):
John Uwhumiakpor PBP
Okezie E Emuaga FG
Rush-Lusk (5 seats):
Maria Salahovs GP
Roslyn Fuller IND
Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart (6 seats):
Punam Rane FG
JK Onwumere FF
Marius Marosan IND
Ongar (5 seats):
Jagannadha Muttumula FG
Raghu Narayanam IND
Ramesh Racherla IND
Swords (7 seats):
Yulia Ghumman LAB
Paul Uzo IND

South Dublin
Clondalkin (7 seats):
Shakeel Jeeroburkan IND
Palmerstown-Fonthill (5 seats):
Madeleine Johansson PBP
Sikandar Jahanzab IND
Lucan (5 seats):
Anwar Ul Haq Malik IND
Shakeel Jeeroburkan IND
Tallaght Central (6 seats):
Sandra Ruiz SOCDEM
Tallaght South (5 seats):
Baby Pereppadan FG

Galway City
Galway City West (6 seats):
Darius Ivan IND

Laois
Portlaoise (7 seats):
Naeem Iqbal IND
Timothy Adejumo Non-Party

Limerick
Limerick City East (7 seats):
Elena Secas LAB
Limerick City West (7 seats):
Abul Kalam Azad Talukder FF
Adare-Rathkeale (6 seats):
Theresa Storey GP

Longford
Longford (7 seats):
Remu Adejinmi FF

Mayo
Castlebar (7 seats):
Kamal Uddin LAB
Westport (4 seats):
Cissy Nagiya GP

Meath
Navan (7 seats):
Yemi Adenuga FG

Roscommon
Boyle (6 seats):
Sajjad Hussain IND
Sligo-Strandhill (6 seats):
Miranda O’Donnell GP

Wicklow
Greystones (6 seats):
Anna Waithira Burke LAB