With its mountains and coastline, Donegal is a beautiful place to live, but its scale as a political constituency makes it “an artist’s nightmare”, says Ain.
“People may feel that they have been separated, left alone and forgotten here in Donegal,” she adds.
There are a number of issues as to why this might be, but Aine points to infrastructure, health services, costs and, incidentally, the problem of defective concrete blocks.
Thousands of houses built from blocks containing high levels of the mineral mica are collapsing throughout the county.
The mineral absorbs water, causing the walls to crack and crumble.
In November 2021, the Irish government introduced what it described as a significant number of improvements to the previous scheme for mica home owners.
The scheme, which is capped at €420,000 (£357,500), is aimed at homeowners in counties Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Limerick, where the units are most prevalent.
