Meeting James Lawless for the first time is a concentrated experience, writes Brian Byrne. He speaks quickly, and you get the sense of a man in a hurry to get places, and to get things said and done. But he listens too.
He's been doing a lot of that since he was first appointed a Fianna Fáil Local Area Representative two years ago. That's a title without power, but the Sallins man originally from north Wexford has been making the most of it to set himself up for this local political challenge.
"I decided from the beginning that I wasn't going to be the kind of person who just turns up at election time," he says. "I've really been canvassing for the last two years, knocking on doors in Sallins, Naas and Kill. Most people said it was good to see someone coming around, and it gives you an understanding of the issues in advance. You get several different viewpoints."
James says he has always been a 'doer', reckons it comes from his parents, who 'were always involved in things'. "My mother in particular was with the Parents Council, the Parish Council, the whole lot, so I grew up in that kind of ethos."
It wasn't a particularly political one, though James remembers his grandfather who was of staunch republican beliefs. "He passed away when I was a teenager, but I grew up with the stories, and the patriotism. I remember them as great stories, maybe because I always loved history."
When he went to TCD, his inclination to 'get stuck in' prompted involvement in the Students Union. And with politics, in particular Fianna Fáil. "It just seemed that the people who were doing things there were Fianna Fáil, so I formally joined the cumann eventually."
Qualifying, then a job, and a move to Sallins to set up home and family ('we found a train station with new houses nearby'). He took a step back from politics, but in a new estate there were the usual issues and it didn't take long for James to get stuck in again. "Some people sit on bar stools or in armchairs and complain. I've always been inclined to jump up from the chair and put my hand up." So he set up a residents committee, and one thing led to another. "I worked a lot with Fianna Fáil's Cllr Michael Fitzpatrick, but trying to get things sorted in my estate was a cross-party effort. We worked with any councillor who might be able to help, any party and no party."
It proved a frustrating process, and more than a decade later his estate is still trying to get Kildare County Council to take it in charge. "We're making progress, but slowly. This was one of the reasons I was prompted to go for a position where I can do things directly. It can be the case that in trying to get something done, you're beating at the door, and often the door is closed. I want to get through that door."
The process reconnected him with Fianna Fáil and he joined the local cumann and took officer and board positions. The collapse in the fortunes of the party he sees as an opportunity to rebuild. "A huge political price has been paid, but there's now the chance to recast the party to what it should be and could be. It's stepping up to the plate, not so much to restore what was there, but to create new ideas."
His political activity is all very time-hungry, especially for somebody with a full-time job. James's previous interests in hurling and fishing have been relegated by what he sees as a different 'hobby that has become my work'. He's not complaining, says it's just a reality that there are only so many hours in the day. "I do enjoy it, going to meetings, having a chat at the gates on issues, trying to follow them up and come back with a result. It's very satisfying."
His professional lawyer background can be useful in helping him see a bigger picture from all those chats. Patterns can emerge which are possibly best dealt with at national or Dail level. "Problem solving and spotting anomalies are part of what I do for a living. I can bring things to the attention of whoever needs to know, and it can be very rewarding to get the opportunity to help change the way things are done."
But this coming election is local, and does he think he has a good chance to make it onto Kildare County Council along with his electoral running mates Rob Power and sitting councillor Willie Callaghan? "It takes a lot of work to get elected, and it's a big area with around 40,000 people. But I've put in plenty of spadework, and a lot of people are saying that even though I'm new as a candidate, they already know me. We'll see."
If he makes it, it will be a learning experience for him as a new councillor. But it will also be so for everybody involved, experienced local representatives, officals and the newbies all together. The new Council system is a change that on a personal level he believes will rebalance the area at representational level. "Naas Town Council is being abolished, and I know some people will miss that. But I'm of the view that there were all sorts of anomalies created when you had two councils in the same area."
The issues for the next six weeks — he has taken the time off work to devote himself fully to the campaign — are a varied mix, but similar to what he has involved himself with for the past two years. The taking in charge of estates, small communities losing garda stations and, potentially, post offices. Supporting small businesses in towns and villages. Broadband, 'the water service of the 21st century'. And more.
The biggest issue just now, though, is to do his utmost to convince the people on the doorsteps to take a flyer on someone who can be cast as representing a new future in political representation. He's game for it. "It's a bit like the All-Ireland season just now," he muses as I take his picture for this piece. Then he's gone, a young man in a hurry to get things done.
More than a hint was given at the launch of Fianna Fail local election candidate James Lawless's campaign that his party views him as going further than Kildare County Council, writes Brian Byrne.
It seems that there are around 1,400 people over the age of 18 in Kilcullen who are regular Facebook users, writes Brian Byrne.
