Brannoxtown school 'battle' made Tracey political
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| Tracey O'Dwyer and Deputy Martin Heydon. |
But, she told the Fine Gael Newbridge District Convention during the week, it also showed how change can be effected when a community comes together with a common purpose.
"Brannoxtown school had been a focal point of village life and having lost our local post office and shop it was the only amenity the village had left, so it just wasn’t an option to let it close," she recalled in her introduction speech. "I called Martin Heydon for advice on how we should proceed with trying to ensure this didn’t happen. A committee was formed and this began a year-long battle to save the school from permanent closure, which I’m very happy to say we succeeded in doing and now the school is open and thriving under new patronage."
She said the experience of joining with her community and leading the fight to retain the local school was a 'tough but ultimately successful one'. "While I was not political in any way, I can see the benefits for our area of having a local representative who knows and loves that area. As a young working mother, I want to be that representative ... and I believe I have a lot to offer."
Tracey told how she has lived all her life in Grangemore, Kilcullen, went to school in Brannoxtown NS and then attended Cross and Passion College Kilcullen. "I later went on to study German and Business Studies. I have worked primarily in the construction and the charity sectors, spending over eight years at Barretstown Children's Camp."
Married to Newbridge man Brian Buckley, with a 7-year-old son Lochlainn, Tracey currently operates the Geraldine School of Dancing founded by her late mother Geraldine Clifford, teaching in Kilcullen, Newbridge, Crookstown and Blessington.
Tracey noted that the core values of Fine Gael 'ring true' in a town like Kilcullen, in support of businesses who provide local services and also supporting community organisations like Kilcullen Community Action and Tidy Towns in the positive role they play in the community.
She concluded her speech by acknowledging the value that Fine Gael in Government places on education, evident in the continued investment in the expansion of Cross and Passion College, Scoil Bhride, Two Mile House NS as well as continued investment in Halverstown and Brannocstown national schools.
Tracey was subsequently selected as an FG candidate for the Newbridge LEA in the local elections next May. The area comprises Caragh, Newbridge, Athgarvan, Kilcullen, Brannockstown, and Two Mile House. Also selected at the convention were Peggy O'Dwyer and Tom Dempsey.
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