Pictured at the launch of the Mayor of Barntown 2017 campaign in Mary Jo’s, Barntown were Bronagh O’Dowd, Padraig Berry, Tess O’Dowd, Donie O’Dowd, Margaret Fielding, Noel McCarthy and Veronica English. Pic: Jim Campbell

TENSIONS ARE simmering in the Barntown area as the race is on between six candidates vying to be crowned Mayor of their community.

Election posters are up, hands are being shaken and selfies being taken as local legends Billy Codd; Donie O’Dowd; Mag Gurhy; Martina Brazzill; Declan Power and Tom Dempsey vie for the position last held in 1979 by the late, great, Peter Codd.

Spirits were high at the initiative’s recent launch night held at Election Headquarters, a local hostelry known throughout the rest of the year as Mary Jo’s.

With the starting pistol figuratively fired, candidates are getting down to canvassing their neighbours and other community members for their support.

Votes can be bought for €1 each and any person so willing may purchase as many votes as they wish for any particular candidate/s.

Votes will soon be returned to Election Headquarters, where they will be counted and a leader board will be produced.

Attentions will then turn to the second task: a fancy dress walk, for which each candidate and their supporters will be given a special dress-up theme and will start the day by appearing at 11am mass.

Any celebrity look-alikes seen travailing the roads of the wider Barntown area over the coming weeks, therefore, may well be local rivals racing towards an election!

A treasure hunt, a ‘Come Dine with Me’ event and a car boot sale are just a number of the other fun community events set to take place over the course of the competitors’ campaign.

Read more in the Wexford Echo.