*Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF). Photograph: Eamon Ward
AN “exceptional” term as Cathaoirleach of the Shannon Municipal District has been completed by Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) according to senior officials in the local authority.
O’Gorman’s twelve month tenure in the Chair concluded on Friday when he was succeeded by Cllr John Crowe (FF). It was his first time serving as Cathaoirleach of the Shannon MD.
Cratloe’s O’Gorman returned to the Council in March 2020 when he was co-opted to take the seat vacated by Cathal Crowe TD (FF) following his election to Dáil Éireann.
He is Fianna Fáil’s most experienced councillor in the Shannon MD, retaining the seat last June when he secured 1,183 first preference votes to take the fifth of seven seats.
A former Mayor of Clare, he was a county councillor from 1999 to 2004 before losing out in elections in 2004, 2009 and 2014.
Addressing Friday’s AGM, Cllr O’Gorman said, “it was a privilege to be Cathaoirleach and I enjoyed every bit of it”. He recalled pinpointing the N19 access road, the One Shannon Hub, flood defences in Shannon Town and the greenway from Shannon and Bunratty onto Sixmilebridge as “four projects I said wouldn’t be finished in my term but that I hoped to add some meat to the bone on and they are moving forward”.
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park according to Cllr O’Gorman has “numbers increasing every year since the Council took it over. The buildings are being put back the way they should be with thatched roofs”.
Similarly he praised the performance of Shannon Airport with passenger numbers reaching their highest level in fifteen years. “I am delighted to see Michael O’Leary adding more routes and another aircraft which will grow on the 2.1m passengers last year”.
Phase two of the Limerick Northern Distributor Road needs to be put back on the agenda in light of the decision to grant planning for 101 houses in Carraig Midhe and to “alleviate congestion” in South Clare. He was critical of former Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan (GP) for pulling the LNDR from the revised Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) in March 2022.
A drop in roads funding for the Shannon MD this year was “one disappointment” for Pakie as he reflected on his term. “Out of €27.44m the Shannon MD only got €2.92m which was down on the year before, it is something we have to address as a Municipal District going forward”.
He felt there had been a united front from elected representatives in the Shannon MD, “political persuasion doesn’t come into it when we come in the door”.
Director of Physical Development, Alan Farrell acknowledged “the good work you’ve done” and said the outgoing Cathaoirleach was “deeply committed” proving to be “excellent to work with” for both the office staff and outdoor crew in the Shannon MD. “Your term as Cathaoirleach was exceptional,” he stated.
Voicing his praise, Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) said the Cathaoirleach “handled every situation” and was able to diffuse the possibility of any crisis. “You kept us well informed and you dealt with every challenge,” he commented.
There was a positive relationship between councillors which was facilitated by the Chair, Cllr Michael Begley (IND) maintained. “We’ve all had a good year, there was no acrimony or division on what should or could be done, we didn’t have to kill each other on roads that could or could not be done”.
Following the conclusion of his first year as a councillor, Cllr David Griffin (FF) commended his party colleague, “it’s always good to have someone approachable, you made us feel very welcome and kept everything between the ditches”. He drew a smile from Cllr O’Gorman when he remarked, “No doubt we’ll be working together with you in the Chair after you get elected at the next election”.
After getting elected to succeed O’Gorman, Cllr Crowe outlined that he was hoping to follow his lead. “He did an outstanding job, it was very difficult in the first year of a five year term, when you look at the make-up of our Municipal District, there are only two councillors that stood in the last Council that got re-elected (still here), Pakie was co-opted, you had a complete new Council you could say with new councillors, it was an exceptionally difficult job to bring everyone along with three new people coming in, every reigned in and that was down to you, I hope I will be able to do something similar”.
Upon letting Cllr Crowe take the Chair, Cllr O’Gorman realised he ended up with a belonging of his colleagues which he was eager to return, “I took your Fine Gael biro by mistake,” he remarked before quickly handing back the pen to Crowe.
