*Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) and Cllr Bill Slattery (FG).
A YEAR on from his successful political comeback, Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) has been elected as the Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District.
At Friday’s AGM held at Áras Contae an Chláir, Lahinch’s Bill was elected to succeed Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) with Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) elected as Leas Cathaoirleach. He topped the poll in last June’s local elections, amassing 2,244 first preference votes which saw him elected on the first count. He lost his seat five years previous, a result that has left lasting divisions among Fine Gael in North Clare.
In what is his second time becoming Cathaoirleach of the West Clare MD, Bill admitted, “I’m a bit nervous, it is a while since I’ve did this. I was Chairperson before but things weren’t as demanding or difficult as they are now, maybe it is the shortage of money now”.
He noted, “It is a privilege to be chosen by your colleagues to represent them and the West Clare Municipal District”. Cllr Slattery praised his predecessor Cllr McInerney “who represented us with integrity and dignity”. He welcomed the Council’s new Chief Executive Gordon Daly to his new role.
Road infrastructure was flagged by Cllr Slattery as a key priority for his tenure. “As we look to the future, we’re all aware of the serious challenges facing our district from housing and transport to the core public services our communities rely on every day. But I firmly believe that by working together across party lines and parish boundaries we can deliver real and lasting progress. I want to clearly state that my colleagues and I in the West Clare Municipal District share a common and fundamental duty, to represent the interests, concerns, and voices of the people who elected us to serve on this Council.
“The motions we table and the issues we raise whether at district or county level often stem from very specific local concerns. But every item reflects a genuine representation brought to us by a resident, business, or community group. As we move through the year ahead, I urge the Executive to keep this in mind. Collaboration between the Executive and Elected Members is essential. Together, we must work to find the best path forward for all our communities. As Cathaoirleach, I will be placing particular emphasis on one issue that affects every community: our road infrastructure”.
Such conditions suggest a lunar rover is more acceptable than a family car to travel the roads, he quipped. “Year after year, West and North Clare are overlooked when it comes to national road funding. Despite being a gateway for millions of tourists annually, our roads have been left behind. This year, once again, Clare received one of the lowest per-kilometre capital allocations under the national secondary roads programme.
“It’s not just a tourism issue — it’s about fairness for our local communities. People here pay their taxes like everyone else. The least they should expect is to drive on safe, well-maintained roads. Instead, we have sections so poor, drivers must swerve into the opposite lane just to avoid damaging their vehicles. Sometimes, you’d wonder if a lunar rover would be more suitable than a family car. This is unacceptable in 2025. Our outdoor staff and engineers are doing their best on limited budgets, but only a strong, united voice from this council can secure the national investment we need. I recognise every Municipal District will make its case — and rightly so — but West Clare has too often been the forgotten corner. Whether it’s road funding, active travel projects, enterprise supports or public services, we’ve fallen behind”.
Slattery concluded, “Engaging as one unit with the executive and government departments on making the case for increased investment in the district should be our priority. Let us represent the people of West and North Clare with purpose — not politics”.
Proposing his colleague, Cllr Gabriel Keating stated, “my nominee has had a major interest in community work over the years, he was the longest serving member of Lahinch Sea World, he is also on the board of the Cliffs of Moher Executive. He is an elected member of Clare County Council for over nine years, he is a man that is not afraid to speak out and one of his major topics is Blake’s Corner. He was elected last June to the Southern Assembly for second term which is unique and which shows his input in the first time. He was responsible for getting the Christmas lights in Lahinch and I’ve no doubt he will light up the West Clare Municipal District. Wearing the chain of office will not tie him down”.
Attending the meeting online, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) seconded the nomination of his fellow Lahinch man. “Gabriel has gone through the history lesson, everyone knows about the election setback of 2019 for Bill and the legendary comeback and performance in the election last year, he is great community and Lahinch man, he has the perfect temperament to lead the Municipal District for the next twelve months, I look forward to Bill in the Chair and keeping everything on an even keel”.
Outgoing Cathaoirleach, Cllr McInerney proposed the nomination of Cllr Shannon as Leas Cathaoirleach. “Michael is my neighbouring councillor, a great community man, in his first year he has taken the role on with gusto particularly on economic and community development”.
Seconding this proposal, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) commented, “you can see the energy Cllr Shannon has brought to the MD since joining us last year, energy, drive and willingness to look outside the box, that is exactly what we need”.
Offering his congratulations to both elected councillors, Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) said, “Your experience of being on the Council and in business, you are somebody who has an interest and huge knowledge of tourism and in the systems and workings of the Council. We’ll have a good year with a strong top table team. I am delighted to see Michael as Vice Chair, ye will make a good team”.
“
Cllr Shannon said, “I’m deeply humbled by the proposals today, I want to say to the people of West Clare we need to be united as a team and focused. We’ve many challenges but we’ve great people, great ideas and making sure we can help them”. He noted Clare’s All-Ireland success lifted the spirits of people who were struggling, “All-Ireland success last year made things easier for people, they may have been having a difficult year but it lifted them”.
