I’m the founder of a social enterprise bringing empty buildings back into use. I love this work — it gives me scope to talk to people, to unearth the lore of local places, and to get involved with all aspects of construction — from planning to plastering.
The longer I do this work the more concerned I am with the spaces between buildings: are they places we can linger with our friends and families, or are they noisy and stressful thoroughfares?
More than anyone else, it is local councillors who decide how our public realm will look and feel and service the needs of the people living in a community. It’s a job that requires real vision and expertise.
Winning a seat in Killiney-Shankill would be an opportunity to bring my competency in urban planning and design to the place where I grew up.
I was lucky to have my projects featured in the The Sunday Independent (“Vacant sites are contagious — so is regeneration”), the Business Post, and the United Ireland Podcast. I’ve championed Green policy in dozens of media appearances and was included in the Irish Times “50 People to Watch”. I’m also a regular contributor at conferences including Walk21 and The Future of Dublin with the Deputy Mayor of Paris.
In interviews I often talk about how I spent too much of my childhood in the back of a car. It was so stressful for my mother, a talented designer whose career prospects were eroded by the constant chaperoning. For me, the Green commitment to walking and cycling is not just a matter of saving the planet — it’s vital for women’s equality, children’s health and development, and building communities we love to live in.