Aideen Ginnell with some of the large Westmeath contingent at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis.

Mullingar woman elected to ff national executive

Mullingar’s Aideen Ginnell will certainly remember last weekend’s Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis with fondness after being elected to the party’s National Executive.

The 27-year-old topped the poll in the election for the Committee of 15, which is a group elected by the party’s grass roots members to represent it on the National Executive. As the first candidate past the post, the University of Limerick graduate has also been appointed to the party’s Officer Board, on which she will work closely with senior figures including leader Micheál Martin.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Ms Ginnell, who is Deputy Robert Troy’s parliamentary assistant, said that she was “thrilled” to be elected to the national executive. She puts her success down to her “great team” and the experience she gained from working on previous local and general election campaigns.

“I got amazing support from Westmeath and the members of my team and I couldn’t have done it without Robert’s support,” she said.
Looking forward to her new voluntary role in the party, Ms Ginnell says that she wants to hit the ground running.
“I want to work on policies and deliver them to member s so that when they are canvassing they know what our core policies are,” she said.

“It is a real honour to be chosen by Fianna Fáil members to represent them on the Ard Comhairle. I am committed to representing the needs of the younger generation of Fianna Fáil members.

“It is crucial that the party continues to focus on policies that support young people who are looking for jobs, looking for homes and trying to get on in life at home here in Ireland. I will be a strong voice for younger voters here in Westmeath and across the country who often feel disengaged from the political system,” she said.