Roscommon has the lowest number of female election candidates in the country. Just 16 per cent of candidates running in this year's local elections in the county are women. Figures from the See Her Elected initiative, also show just 11 women have been elected to the local authority since 1925. Meanwhile, 27 per cent of candidates in County Longford are women while just six female candidates have ever been elected in the county.
There is slightly more gender balance in County Leitrim, where 37 per cent of candidates running in June's elections are women. Mairead O'Shea says there is a record number of female candidates nationally, but Roscommon is still lagging behind. Speaking to Shannonside News, she highlighted the low number of women running in certain local electoral areas:
