There can be a real momentum in local politics

There can be a real momentum in local politics

13 March 2024

SOUTH Down’s newest Sinn Féin MLA has said there is a real opportunity for young people to shape our society’s future, now that the Stormont Executive has returned.

In May 2022, proud Drumaness woman Cathy Mason was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly after the first count, having received nearly 10,000 votes.

In an exclusive interview with the Down Recorder, the 35 year-old spoke about her time growing up in the district, how she became motivated to get involved in politics, her hopes and ambitions for the future and how the ground work for a “new Ireland” is well underway.

“I’ve always been very proud about where I come from,” she said. “We are a very supportive and close-knit community. I now live in Loughinisland. It’s a great village as well and it’s somewhere I am very happy to raise my two young children.”

As a child, Mrs Mason attended Drumaness Primary School and then completed her GCSEs and A-Levels at St Colman’s High and Sixth Form College in Ballynahinch, where she had a keen passion for history and business studies.

“My daughter is following in my footsteps and goes to St Colman’s,” she continued. “She absolutely loves it – as did I. I was really lucky to have brilliant teachers who looked after all the students.

“I loved history and have always had an interest in Irish history, but I also loved business studies and that’s what I went on to study at university.”?Having completed her degree in business studies at Ulster University, Jordanstown, Mrs Mason entered the hospitality and catering industry.

Whilst she enjoyed working in this sector, she knew it was something she did not want to do forever.

“I’ve always had an interest in politics. My dad would have always had an interest in politics and the history of this place and there would have been numerous discussions in our house about ongoing political situations concerning the North.

“I became more politically active when Chris Hazzard was elected as the MP for South Down in the 2017 general election, which was a historic win for Sinn Féin.

“I think that sent a signal to a lot of young people like myself that change is achievable and it motivated more young people to become involved in politics. 

“I have always believed in a United Ireland and that is the direction of travel I want all of us to go, and the election of Chris definitely inspired to become directly involved in politics.

“I found that Sinn Féin’s message of an inclusive new Ireland really resonated with me and offered everyone something better than what we had at the time.”

In 2019, Mrs Mason was selected by her party to stand in the local government elections. She was successfully elected to Newry, Mourne and Down Council and two years later became the council chairperson.

Mrs Mason described entering the political arena as a “whirlwind”, but was determined to represent the “sometimes overlooked villages of Co Down”.

She went on: “I think sometimes people underestimate what can be achieved in local politics. There can be a real momentum in local politics – you can see real change being delivered and that is something I found very fulfilling.

“Coming from Drumaness and now living in Loughinisland, I often felt that we were left behind.

“When you look at the media, you often hear about our towns like Downpatrick, Newcastle and Castlewellan and while that was great for the district, I always wanted to make sure more rural areas were given their fair share of representation and got the benefits of what we were doing as a council.

“Play-parks was always a priority for me. When I came to the council, Loughinisland and Teconnaught didn’t have any play parks, but since then we’ve managed to get one built in Teconnaught which is being enjoyed by the whole community and that’s what we need for Loughinisland as well.”

Upon taking the council chair, Mrs Mason made mental health a priority. Having delivered suicide and addiction workshops in Drumaness, Mrs Mason said that more needs to be done to address the mental health issues facing the community.

“When I had the honour of becoming council chair, we were in the middle of a mental health crisis, and I believe that it is still ongoing,” she said.

“We were just coming out of the pandemic, but we can still see the knock-on impact it has had on our young people, especially when it comes to our schools and special educational needs.

“When you look at Downpatrick we have an addiction centre, Ward 15, and the mental health unit up in the Downe Hospital.”

She added: “I want to see more services here to address the crisis. We are so lucky that we have the third sector – the volunteering sector with the likes of MYMY and Life Change Changes Life who do such amazing works, but unfortunately they are propping up our mental health services and I want to see them get the adequate funding so they can continued to provide their vital services.”

A year after becoming the council chairperson, Mrs Mason and her party colleague, Sinéad Ennis, were elected to the Assembly on the first count.

The same election ushered in a new era for Northern Ireland, with Sinn Féin becoming the largest party, allowing them to nominate a First Minister – a first in the province’s history.?Subsequent elections since 2017 have found that more young voters have began to gravitate towards Sinn Féin, which has seen the party become the largest party in the Assembly and in local government.

“I think a lot of it is about young people just looking for change,” she said.

“With Michelle O’Neill, they’ve seen that opportunity for change, because she has demonstrated already that she is a First Minister for all and she will continue to fulfil that promise.

“There’s also been a lot of people who have been disillusioned by what has happened in recent years,” Mrs Mason added.

“We’ve faced 12 years of Tory austerity and I do see people are looking towards the future.

“The conversation around Irish unity is well underway and I think young people recognise that gives them the opportunity to shape their society’s future for their own children.

“We’re also a party that is at the forefront of promoting women in politics. Our leadership in Mary-Lou McDonald and Michelle has been a real inspiration for women and young girls because it shows them what they can achieve.

“Politics is not an easy game for women, particularly because of things said on social media, but we are lucky to have such an even split in our party of male and female representatives – some parties don’t have much female representation.

“I know as a young mother it was always inspiring to see women in leadership and I hope more is done to encourage more women to get involved in politics, but I think it’s our responsibility as well to bring more women into the fold.”

Mrs Mason said that In recent years, the conversation surrounding the idea of a border poll and a United Ireland has gained more traction from various sections of the community.

“It’s something I certainly hope I see and I will continue to work towards and advocate for,” she continued. 

“Many people aspire to see it, and the conversation about a new Ireland offers a great deal of hope, but as we seen with the disaster that was Brexit, we need to make the preparations now.”

Speaking about local issues, Mrs Mason says the district has “so many opportunities”.

“We’ve been through a lot of tough times, particularly Downpatrick with the recent flooding.

“In the wake of the flooding we have the regeneration of the town in the Living High Street Scheme that’s sitting there, but we just need funding for it which is something I’ll be fighting for in the Assembly.

“We also have huge potential to expand our tourism sector in the town and right across South Down. I want to see the extension of the Ireland’s Ancient East programme and I’m working closely with the Economy Minister to deliver.”

“There has always been a challenge with the Downe Hospital and the lack of services here. I want to see the expansion of facilities at the hospital particularly mental health facilities.”

She added: “There’s a real sense of community across South Down. We are a very vibrant part of the world, with caring and supportive people. We have so much potential here, but it is up to us as politicians to deliver for the constituents.

“We had nearly two years without an Assembly and it’s absolutely brilliant to be doing the job we’ve been elected to do.

“I’m enjoying working with my colleagues and members of other parties. There’s a real sense of optimism and a lot of the issues that need to be addressed have been getting cross-party support.”