Ireland on Sunday, FEBRUARY 24, 2002, page 37

The forthcoming General Election will attract more single-issue
candidates than ever before – one even plans to build a new city

The dreamer who wants your vote

By Frank Doherty and Aine Ryan

HE'S BEEN scoffed at, ridiculed and accused of pie in the sky pipe dreams... but William A. Thomas (35) insists he is in deadly earnest. The Galway-based businessman wants to build a new metropolis in the West of Ireland, to be called City of the Sacred Heart.

Not only has he had a Dublin architect draw up detailed plans for his dream city, he is planning to field between six and 10 Dáil candidates in the General Election to promote the proposal.

Realistic

Thomas insists his plans for the new city near Knock Airport in Co. Mayo are not only realistic but have support of nearly 1,500 companies from all over the world.

He intends to field candidates in the May election in key West of Ireland constituencies on the National Western Alliance ticket - an organisation he set up last year.

He said $100m (€115m) had already been pledged in investment funds from companies abroad and the initial house-building target was 44,000 homes. One company has offered to put $15m (€17m) into the new city while multinational aerospace firm, Boeing, has sent executive vice-president Earl Godby to Ireland for discussions.

The idea for a new city came to Thomas, who is managing director of Rockwell Shipping International, two years ago after he had read about soaring house prices in the greater Dublin area.

"Housing prices are now beyond the reach of many couples who could have afforded a home a few years ago. Thousands of people working in Dublin are being forced to commute long distances to provincial towns where they can find less expensive accommodation," he added.

Thomas said it was hoped to model the City of the Sacred Heart on new towns built in Sweden and Holland. With Ireland's population growing rapidly, expected to reach nearly five million by 2020, Tony Thomas claimed the new city makes economic sense.

He said the project had support from a number of architects, engineers, planners and clergymen, including Bishop Thomas Flynn. Since setting up an internet website, his group has received support from thousands of Irish overseas.

Thomas says the plan is to help rejuvenate counties Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal; Longford, parts of Westmeath and north Galway. The estimated cost for the new city is $l00bn (€115bn).

While Thomas plans to campaign for his utopian city; what will other single-issue candidates be running for in the forthcoming General Election?

• In Dublin Midwest David Green (21) will fight for equitable insurance for young drivers as he runs on behalf of the Motor Insurance Justice Action Group (MIJAG).
• Rosslare GP Dr Liam Twomey (35) will run out of "sheer annoyance" with the state of the health services.
• Former Labour Cllr Joe O'Callaghan will run in Cork North Central, as an anti-immigration candidate.
• Reformed criminal Michael Kelly will campaign in Limerick East against Garda intimidation.
• Gearóid ó Ciaráin, the Bray principal central in the controversy over a suspended pupil caught supplying cannabis, plans to stand for election on an anti-establishment ticket in Wiclow.
• Tridentine Archbishop Michael Cox rub shoulders with Brian Cowen and Tom Parlon in Laois-Offaly for “social equality.”
• Luke Flanagan – aka Ming the Merciless – will campaign in Longford-Roscommon constituency for legalisation of cannabis.
• Tom Gildea, will campaign Donegal South West on the television deflector issue.