Cllr Warren O'Toole

26/09/2026

90 minutes can pass , a stand can echo forever.

There are moments when sport stops being just sport.

Ireland knows that better than most.

In 1984, a group of young Dunnes Stores workers refused to handle South African goods because they would not turn a blind eye to apartheid.
Recently Irish musicians and artists also took a stand.
Today, Irish footballers find themselves facing their own questions.

Sometimes history remembers the score.

Sometimes it remembers who was prepared to stand up.

This feels like one of those moments.

24/09/2026

Council tenants across Wicklow have told us how worried they are about the planned rent increases. They deserve to be heard before the new scheme comes into effect.

On Monday 28 September, we’ll gather outside County Buildings, Wicklow Town, at 9:30 a.m., ahead of the special emergency council meeting at 10 a.m.

If you’re affected or you want to stand with tenants and families facing these increases, please join us. We’re calling for the increases to be halted while their impact is properly examined.

23/09/2026

At Loughcrew Cairn T this morning for the autumn equinox , standing in a place where people gathered over 5,000+ years ago to mark the changing seasons.

There’s something powerful about standing in a place like this, thinking of all the generations who came before us , those who carved the stone's that we get to view down the chamber . Each watching the same sun, the same landscape and the same turning of the year .

The equinox reminds us of the balance between darkness and light and of celebrations that have taken place across these lands for thousands of years, bringing people together to mark the rhythms of nature and the passing of the seasons.

Places like Loughcrew remind us that the land tells a story. A story carried through generations ,ancient, sacred and still speaking to us today.

22/09/2026

📣 SEAVIEW AVENUE — HAVE YOUR SAY

This Thursday, 24 September, at 12 noon is the final deadline for submissions on the proposed Seaview Avenue Masterplan.

This is about something much bigger than simply improving a park. It is an opportunity to create an exceptional outdoor space for our entire community—one that brings together recreation, sport, accessibility, nature, heritage and our beautiful coastline.

Our outdoor spaces are among Arklow’s greatest assets. Let’s be ambitious, use them to their full potential and help create something that children, families and future generations will be proud of.

Whether you use Seaview Avenue for walking, sport, play, exercise, relaxation or simply to enjoy the outdoors, your experience and your ideas matter. A submission does not have to be long or complicated—tell the Council what you value, what could be improved and what you would like to see included.

Submissions can be made:

🔗 Online:
https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Online-Consultation-Hub/PART-XI-Part-8-Notice-of-the-Proposed-Enhancements-of-Seaview-Avenue-Recreational-Area

📧 By email:
[email protected]

✉️ By post or by hand:
Arklow Municipal District
Castlepark
Arklow
Co. Wicklow
Y14 FX63

Please clearly mark your submission “Seaview Area Masterplan.”

The deadline is 12 noon this Thursday, 24 September.

Please take a few minutes to make a submission and encourage your family, friends, clubs and community groups to do the same.

Our town deserves the very best. Let’s help shape a Seaview Avenue that reflects the beauty, potential and ambition of Arklow.

19/09/2026

Myself and Cllr John Ward are pleased to confirm that our request for a special meeting of Wicklow County Council on Monday, 28th September, has been granted.

I would like to sincerely thank the Cathaoirleach, Councillor Caroline Winstanley and Chief Executive Emer O’Gorman for their work today in facilitating the meeting and confirming the arrangements this evening.

I also want to thank the councillors who supported us in formally requesting this special meeting:

Councillor Joe Behan
Councillor Malachaí Duddy
Councillor Orla Finn
Councillor Tom Fortune
Councillor Peir Leonard
Councillor Jason Mulhall
Councillor Miriam Murphy
Councillor Stephen Stokes

Their support has ensured that the serious concerns being raised by council tenants will now be heard and discussed by the full Council.

I would also like to thank John Brady TD and Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin TD for their continued support and work on this issue.

This is about ensuring that tenants and families throughout County Wicklow are listened to and treated fairly.

If people would like to show their support for this meeting come and join us at county buildings on the 28th.

19/09/2026

🏠 Wicklow Council Rent Hikes

Cllr John Ward and I have secured the necessary support to request a special meeting of Wicklow County Council on 28th September to address the massive rent increases facing council tenants , some of more than 100%.

Thank you to the councillors from across the County who supported our request and helped ensure that tenants’ concerns will hopefully be heard.

We are calling on Wicklow County Council to pause the new rent scheme and urgently assess its impact before it takes effect on 3rd October.

Please sign and share the petition:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-wicklow-council-rent-hikes

Sinn Féin are demanding that the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council convene a special meeting on 28th September to address the massive rent increases being imposed on council tenants.

Sinn Féin councillors Warren O’Toole and John Ward have secured the necessary support from their council colleagues to demand that the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council convene a special emergency meeting on 28th September, and they have formally written to her.

Many tenants are facing rent increases of over 100%, causing significant shock, anger and fear among households already under severe financial pressure as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Wicklow County Council must immediately stop the implementation of its new rent scheme and carry out an urgent assessment of its impact on tenants and families across the county.

Sinn Féin has also launched a petition calling on Wicklow County Council to immediately pause the rent increases, which are due to come into effect on 3 October.

The petition will be presented to Wicklow County Council.

I’m urging affected tenants and members of the public to support the petition and make their concerns heard.

No family should be left fearing that they will struggle to meet their rent because of a sudden and substantial increase in their housing costs.

Please tag and share!

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-wicklow-council-rent-hikes

19/09/2026

Sinn Féin are demanding that the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council convene a special meeting on 28th September to address the massive rent increases being imposed on council tenants.

Sinn Féin councillors Warren O’Toole and John Ward have secured the necessary support from their council colleagues to demand that the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council convene a special emergency meeting on 28th September, and they have formally written to her.

Many tenants are facing rent increases of over 100%, causing significant shock, anger and fear among households already under severe financial pressure as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Wicklow County Council must immediately stop the implementation of its new rent scheme and carry out an urgent assessment of its impact on tenants and families across the county.

Sinn Féin has also launched a petition calling on Wicklow County Council to immediately pause the rent increases, which are due to come into effect on 3 October.

The petition will be presented to Wicklow County Council.

I’m urging affected tenants and members of the public to support the petition and make their concerns heard.

No family should be left fearing that they will struggle to meet their rent because of a sudden and substantial increase in their housing costs.

Please tag and share!

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-wicklow-council-rent-hikes

17/09/2026

I know there is a lot of worry and distress around the rent review at the moment. Many people have reached out with concerns about what it will mean for them and their families and I understand how unsettling this uncertainty can be.

Wicklow County Council is experiencing a high volume of calls and is asking people to email where possible, so their queries can be registered and directed to the appropriate team.

🏠 Rent review queries:
[email protected]

📩 General Council queries:
[email protected]

I’ve attached information provided by Wicklow County Council.

If you’re around Arklow today and would prefer to speak to someone in person, my party colleague TD Fionntán O Súilleabháin parliamentary assistant is available at his clinic in The Old House until 5pm. You’re welcome to drop in and discuss your concerns.

You can also contact me directly. A lot of people are reaching out at the moment, so please bear with me as I work through messages. I will get back to everyone in due course.

Please don’t feel you have to navigate this on your own. We’re here to help.

13/09/2026

One of my earliest memories of being outdoors and foraging is picking wild blackberries.

Searching the hedgerows for the ripest berries, eating as many as we could and returning with scratched arms and purple-stained fingers.

For generations, blackberry picking has been part of growing up in Ireland. It connected us with nature before we even understood what foraging was.

Did you pick blackberries growing up? Do you pick them now ?What did you collect them in and what was made with them? I’d love to hear your memories and recipes.

Always forage responsibly , love nature.