Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

People Before Profit introduced its newest local representative with a press release about a familiar old theme: Galway transport and traffic.

Denman Rooke is now representing the party in Galway City East and has set his sights on winning a seat and becoming the party’s first ever PBP councillor on Galway City Council.

In his first public statement under the PBP banner, Rooke welcomed the BusConnects Galway project, which he said had the potential to encourage more public transport and cycling in the city.

“This not only helps tackle overall emissions, but our major traffic issues as well,” he said.

But who is Denman Rooke?

A 36-year-old professional artist and illustrator with strong trade union links, he’s been an art director in entertainment and games for the last 16 years.

A self-professed “eco-socialist activist”, he’s a trade union activist and committee member with Game Workers Unite Ireland which is part of Financial Services Union.

He’s also involved in the Cost of Living Coalition Galway, popular with PBP members.

Born in the USA, Denman Rooke spent a chunk of his childhood in various different countries.

“My father was a South African-born Irishman and my mother an Indian-born American. So, I have a family that is used to being spread out across the world,” he told us.

He spent most of his teens and early 20s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2013 he moved with his wife, Caitlyn, to work in Dublin and settled in Galway in 2013. The gamer got involved in local politics to make change.

“With such massive income inequality in our society, a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis, climate crisis, and so much more, I felt I had to get involved. I believe socialism, through movements organised by ordinary working people, is the change our society needs,” said Denman Rooke.

He announced his arrival on the scene attending a protest outside University Hospital Galway last Saturday week, organised by Aontú, and was also at the BusConnects Galway public consultation in Renmore Community Centre last week.

With one high-profile resignation from City East already and at least one retirement of the old guard expected, PBP will be targeting a breakthrough in the Local Election in 2024 in a wide-open six-seat ward.

(Photo: The new Galway City East representative for People Before Profit, Denman Rooke).

This is a shortened preview version of this column. For more Bradley Bytes, see the February 3 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.