What motivates you?
What motivates me is basically anything I don't think is
fair I try and change it, whatever it is. Whether that be someone trying to
stop the cutting of turf, or my neighbours or my friends
or the people in the area or someone trying to incarcerate me
for smoking cannabis, that motivates me to try and change it.
Or if there are no playgrounds in my area that motivates me to change
things that are wrong, I want to try and put them right. Whatever it takes.
What one piece of advice would you give to (indiscernible)?
Don't give up. An ounce of perseverance is worth a ton of intelligence.
At the end of the day you can be as intelligent as you want,
but if you're not willing to persevere, it's not worth a damn to you.
Just look at Derval O'Rourke at the European Athletics Championship.
I wouldn't say she's necessarily the most talented hurdler in the world, but I tell ya she kills herself to do it.
Fair dues to her. That's what ya want.
(Indiscernible)
For the first six months I felt like well I didn't have much hair at the time but
I felt like pulling what little hair I had out of my head
because I walked into a syetem whereby
the executive or otherwise the civil servants were running it lock stock and barell.
Now, you can blame the system but you can also look at the politicians who were there
and what sort of attempts they made to change it.
And I met with the system which basically looked at me and said
"It's your job to go to funerals, really."
And I tried to develop policy on things, detailed policy.
Plans on things and brought it to them and they were absolutely and utterly shocked.
Now, for the first six months, it was hell alright.
But at this stage, they do actually listen to me, because they've been listening to me for six years.
I don't know why they do what I ask them to, maybe it's because they want me to shut up?
I don't care why, but as long as it's happening.
A lot of people say they've lost trust, they've lost faith they're apathetic.
They want nothing to do with politics, whereas you're saying "Ah would you cop on already!
If you want something go for it and get it!"
But it is a reality that a lot of people are so disenchanted. they want nothing to do with the political system.
Reality doesn't come about by accident, it happens because of mistakes people have made.
People have made mistakes in the politicians they've elected down through the years.
Politicians are a reflection of society and a reflection in the people who put them there.
So, ultimately, if you want to change that, you go out and change the politicians, but you don't stop there!
If you're not happy with who's on the ballot paper, I've said it already and I keep saying it you put your name on the ballot paper.
People thirteen years ago when I put my name on the ballot paper, people would've said
"Sure, what the hell you doing that for?"
I'm now mayor of Roscommon, with a population of 58,000 people.
So if I prove nothing else, I hope I've proved that if you want to
basically get out there to represent people, people are willing to listen to you,
your whatever your views are.
Have confidence in the people in the people you're looking for votes off.
Have confidence in them that they're actually intelligent enough
to understand what you're saying rather than trying to force feed them spin and get away with it.
Because you'll get caught out in the end.
But, ultimately it's down to people. Politicians are people. I'm a father, I'm a brother, I'm an uncle.
I'm just a person.
Sure, if you're not happy get rid of me. It's a great system.