Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath has been reappointed as the Convenor of the newly configured Rural Independent Group and has said that the grouping is ‘ready and willing’ to enter government formation discussions with all of the main political parties.
Apart from Deputy McGrath, the grouping consists of Deputies Michael Collins, Michael Healy-Rae, Carol Nolan and Danny Healy Rae.
‘left behind by the outgoing government’
In a statement this morning, the group has said that rural communities feel ‘left behind by the outgoing government’, and that ‘they sought leadership and support and received neither’.
The group added that an urban/rural divide continues to exist and that it is ready to engage in any kind of constructive engagement that will help address it.
