Michael McGrath, FF

Michael McGrath, Fianna Fail, Cork South Central

One of the youngest candidates at 30, McGrath believes his working class background gives him a more rounded view of politics. He has given up his career as an accountant to dedicate his life to public service, even though he feels that it is 'extremely difficult to break into the dail, even with the party machine behind you', especially considering the resources available to sitting TD's. McGrath is strongly concerned with issues of planning and development. His local town of Carrigaline has grown from 800 people 25 years ago to 16,000 today. This kind of expansion requires 'integrated development'.For McGrath, actions like zoning land in isolation are examples of a lack of such development.