Baby Luca’s arrival caused only brief halt in Shauna’s canvass

When Rochfortbridge woman Shauna Coyne went to the Rotunda Hospital for an antenatal appointment on Friday fortnight last, they told her to return on the Monday – and to bring a bag.

It suddenly all became very real for Shauna, but the determined Fianna Fáil candidate decided that the best way to keep her mind off things was to carry on and keep canvassing.

All weekend, Shauna knocked on doors, and on Monday May 13, her son Luca was born, to the delight of Shauna and fiancé Alan Rooney, and the couple’s elder son, Mason.

With her aim firmly set on a seat in the Kinnegad Local Electoral Area, barrister Shauna, who is CEO of the steel manufacturing firm Skyclad in Milltownpass, is already back on the canvass, although her team kept the show on the road for her as she recovered from the birth and enjoyed getting to know baby Luca.

“One woman, who is a young mother herself, told my canvassers when she heard about the birth: ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it!” says Shauna.

Issues that have been arising on the doorsteps vary from area to area, but most come as no surprise to Shauna: “They’re really the same issues I would have myself living and working locally, so if someone complains about a particular pothole, for example, I’ll know it because I’ll have seen it myself.”