"It will be tough because we have a lot of ground to make up but I think morale has received a huge boost through this leadership race. These local elections will give the people of Ireland a chance to say 'yes' or 'no' to the PDs and then we will know where we stand. I would be very optimistic and I think people want to keep that element of competition in politics. You don't need a two party system, so smaller parties such as ourselves, the Greens and Labour have a very important role to play. It adds a bit of colour and variety.

"Galway is going to be the flagship for the revival of the party. We have had unprecedented success here, simply due to the sheer hard work put in by our representatives. The elected PD representative in Galway are deeply embedded in the community and we will be using that as a model for the rest of the country," he says.

Reflecting on the current government, Ciarán welcomes the appointment of incoming Taoiseach Brian Cowen, whom he describes as "a good leader who always had a pragmatic level-headed approach" and says that it was good to see a leader who could appreciate the needs of rural and urban Ireland. He also jumps to the defence of fellow PD member and Minister for Health Mary Harney, saying she is a fearless politician who has no difficulty taking on tough tasks and making serious progress within the health system.

Despite the flack that many of his fellow leaders endure on a daily basis, Ciarán says that he is not worried about harsh criticism and says it does not affect him.

"Criticism in the papers doesn't worry me. I have a wonderful wife and family as well as great friends and if they are annoyed or upset, then that will bother me but anything outside that doesn't bother me at all. I can't let it effect me. If someone wants to look at my track record and criticise it, then fair enough, but I think it is very unfair that people who are in a high-profile position are subjected to personal insults. It doesn't serve anyone and demeans politics and journalism. But generally, I am a very positive upbeat person, so it will be water off a duck's back!"

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