*Claire Gallagher (second from left) alongside Mark Dunphy, Caimin Jones and Páraic McMahon.
AWARD winning journalist, Claire Gallagher has been appointed to head up the communications section with Clare County Council.
Caherlistrane native Claire has lived in Clare for more than two decades succeeds Galway based Kennas Fitzsimons who has moved to a new role within the local authority.
Formerly a senior news journalist with the now defunct The Clare People, Claire was also a familiar voice during her days as a news reporter with Clare FM where she started her career in September 1999. She has also worked with Live95FM, Mid West Radio, The Kildare Nationalist and The Tuam Herald.
She moves to Clare County Council from the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) where she had been a communications officer and Acting Director of Marketing and Communications.
Claire is also the founder of GaloCon Media which was established in January 2016 and was in existence until October 2023. Within the politics sphere, she worked in the Fianna Fáil press office from 2002 to 2003 and was parliamentary assistant to MEP, Michael McNamara during the final year of his first stint as a TD until February 2016.
Ahead of the local elections held in June, she appeared as a pundit on The Electoral Chair, The Clare Echo’s political podcast and she was a co-presenter alongside Sally-Anne Barrett and Peter O’Connell for the live stream from the election count provided by the County Council.
In 2008, she was named young Irish journalist of the year at the Irish Medical Media awards. This followed her sensitive treatment of the controversy surrounding breast cancer screening services in Clare. After she received this accolade; then Managing Director of The Clare People, Gerry Collinson said, “Claire is an extremely dedicated and talented journalist. She constantly raised the bar in terms of journalistic excellence with her work”.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Pat Dowling welcomed Claire during her attendance at their September meeting. “Ye might have seen her strolling around the West County at the election count, she now works for us and will be working with you as elected members,” he said.
Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) stated, “Claire will be a great asset” while Cllr John Crowe (FG) remarked, “I would like to welcome Claire who has an outstanding record and I look forward to working with her”. Adding his well-wishes, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) commented, “I would like to wish Claire well, she was the voice of Clare FM once upon a time”.
