'First day of school' feeling for new Offaly TDs in Dáil

Offaly's two new TDs have reflected on the sense of pride they felt on their first day at the Dáil Eireann, and their hopes about what they can achieve for the people of the county over the coming years.

While Independent poll-topper Carol Nolan is returning to the Dáil for a third term, having first been elected in 2016, Fianna Fáil's Tony McCormack and Fine Gael's John Clendennen are both newcomers to Leinster House.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent on Wednesday, Tony McCormack said the atmosphere on his first day in the Dáil gave him a flashback to his schooldays.

"It was a bit like your first day in school. You were going in there quite apprehensive. While you knew that everything was going to be ok, you still had to find your way!" he said.

"We have 9 new TDs in Fianna Fáil, and for the nine of us it was like the first day of school, but for the TDs who were coming back, it was like returning after their summer holidays.

"But it was lovely to get up there to meet everybody, to be brought around Leinster House, see where the offices are, get your feet under the table, and start getting used to what will be a new life as a TD representing the people of the county."

He said he was also very mindful of all that he's hoping to accomplish in the new role.

"It's a bit overwhelming in a way, because you want to do so much for the county and you want to repay the trust that people have put in you," he commented.

"You want to hit the ground running and you want to do everything all at once, but you know it can't be done all at once, you have to take it one step at a time."

Deputy McCormack also said his late grandmother, Kathleen Tyrrell, and his late father, also Tony McCormack, had been in his thoughts in particular.

"There's a huge sense of pride, and you think about your family, your friends and your party colleagues who've gotten you to this point. Because nobody can get across the line in a general election without the help of everybody around them.

"I thought of my granny and my father, who have passed away, and who would would have been so proud of me making it to the Dáil."

Also speaking to the Offaly Independent on Wednesday, John Clendennen said he had been up to Leinster House a number of times since the election. He was due to be having a one-on-one meeting with Taoiseach Simon Harris there yesterday (Thursday).

"There was no lull after the election - I'll put it that way!" said John Clendennen.

"The meeting I'm having with the Taoiseach is to discuss Offaly, and how I want to best serve the electorate and represent them.

"We're sitting in the Dáil for the first time on Wednesday next, the 18th, but I don't think I'll ever get used to that feeling of walking through those doors and realising the immense honour and privilege it is to be elected, but also the responsibility that it holds.

"I don't take that for granted, and I'm going to do all the work that I can to ensure that there's strong representation by me in the 34th Dáil."

Deputy Clendennen also spoke about a sense of positivity in the air at the first Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting since the country went to the polls on November 29.

"I've been around the party for a long time, and I think there was a great vibe there at that meeting. There was a new feel to the whole thing," he said.

"We had fourteen councillors elected (as TDs), we had a number of Senators elected, and there were 23 new faces in total out of the 38 (Fine Gael TDs).

"It's good to see those new voices coming through, with new ideas, and I think we're in a strong position going forward."