Aontú candidate undeterred following theft of election posters

A candidate in the upcoming local council elections has said she will not be deterred after some of her posters were removed from parts of South Derry.

Noreen McEldowney, an Aontú candidate for Carntogher, was shocked to discover a number of her posters were removed in the Moneyneena area last Tuesday.

Towards the end of last week, she discovered that six more posters were taken down in the Maghera and Slaughtneil areas.

Mrs McEldowney believes that some of the posters may have been targeted due to their rural location, preventing those responsible from being detected.

“My husband had helped put the posters up around Moneyneena on Sunday 23rd of April. The following Tuesday he had went to Dungiven and he noticed immediately they had been taken down. On Friday I was travelling to Slaughtneil and I was immediately aware coming into Maghera that posters were missing and as I headed on towards Slaughtneil my heart sank as there was not a poster of mine to be seen. I do not know when these were removed but both areas had been postered twice since Good Friday,” said the Draperstown woman.

The first time candidate says she believes the theft of the posters was a 'direct attempt to sabotage' her election campaign.

“To be honest I was shocked when my husband told me posters were down in Moneyneena, I couldn’t believe it at all,” she continued.

“We replaced them very quickly and I didn’t think no more about it. In an era when politicians are constantly shouting about a woman’s choice, I thought it very ironic, because I am a woman and a mother and it is my choice who I vote for and who I support politically. I am only one of two female candidates in this ward, so I always find women are easy targets in politics. However, when I discovered more had been removed in Maghera and Slaughtneil, my heart sank a little because I realised that this is much more than just someone acting the lig. This was direct attempt to sabotage my campaign. This is my first time running in an election. It isn’t an easy gig, on top of this I am still a mother and a wife, so it is hard enough without having to go out and replace posters.”

The mother-of-three says since the theft she has been inundated with support from locals.

“I have no idea who would have done this or why anyone would feel it was necessary. The fact it happened in three different areas would certainly suggest it is not one person doing this. I am not aware of any of the other candidates having their posters removed in these areas. I also know the removal of my posters is in no way a reflection of the people in Moneyneena, Maghera or Slaughtneil, who have only been extremely welcoming and supportive to me in my campaign.

“I have had so much support from the local community, I told a few people at the doors when I was canvassing and they were horrified and a lot were not happy at all about it. I also shared a few posts on social media which have had a huge response. So, for that I’m very grateful. Unfortunately I have not heard of or seen any of the local representatives condemning the removal of my posters.”

The incidents have now made the Aontú candidate 'more determined' and she is continuing on her campaign.

“I do have a lot on. I am a mother of three young children, all under the age of five, my husband is a sheep farmer and we are in the height of lambing season and on top of that I’m in full time study in Queens with my solicitor exams coming up at the end of May. So, this was something I could have done without. It won’t deter me at all though, if anything it has spurred me on and has made me more determined in my political campaign. We were actually back in Slaughtneil on Saturday because our eldest son was participating in the Feis Charn Tóchair and already there were men back on the ground putting my posters back up. It was great to see because it reminded me that there are people out there who are grateful for Aontú and they deserve to have a voice as well.”

Mrs McEldowney says she feels nothing but 'pity' for those responsible.

“They have more time on their hands than me, that’s for sure. I honestly think that whoever was responsible will not have any luck for it and deep down they will not have got any real pleasure from it either. It’s a pity of them really,” she said.

“I will continue to knock as many doors as possible. I am a person who thrives under pressure and prefers to keep busy. Aontú is a wonderful Irish party and I am so proud to be part of it. It has come as second nature to me, I knew I would enjoy the campaign but I didn’t realise I would enjoy it this much. I just want to keep focus on May 18th and have no regrets. A favourite quote of mine is 'do your best and God will do the rest'.”