The Labour Party

Cllr. Bonner, who has lived in Clondalkin all her life, is currently the principal of St. Bernadette’s National School in Quarryvale. A working mother of two teenage children, with deep roots in the community, Cllr. Bonner is an active member of numerous groups in the community, including Round Tower GAA club and Áras Chrónáin, and has a very keen insight into the lives of people in the area. Through her work as a primary school principal, Cllr. Bonner has worked very closely with parents and families in severe difficulties.

Cllr. Bonner is determined to help improve and strengthen the community and to ensure that the council makes the correct decisions for the benefit of the local community.

Upon taking up her seat, Cllr. Bonner said: “I am deeply humbled that I have been selected to replace Robert Dowds on South Dublin County Council as a representative for Clondalkin. I sincerely hope to continue the great work which Deputy Dowds has done over the course of almost 30 years.This was a somewhat unexpected honour for me! I am a member of the Clondalkin branch of the Labour Party. There is a strong family tradition in the party. My great uncle James Everett and my uncle Liam Kavanagh both served the Labour party in the Wicklow constituency as town and county councillors,TDs and government ministers. My cousin Conal Kavanagh is currently a town and county councillor in Wicklow. So the Labour Party has always been part of my life."

"I am just getting used to my role as councillor and it has been a steep learning curve. Robert Dowds was a highly respected and extremely hard working councillor and quite a hard act to follow! I have inherited his membership of a large number of committees and task forces and I will do my best to represent the people of Clondalkin on the council. I think that it is vital that public representatives strive to keep hope alive in their communities during these bleak and difficult economic times. I hope to be able to encourage local groups to work together to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families."