IT was a typically understated performance from cllr Michael Shannon (FF) as he was elected Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District on Friday.
Shannon took the chain of office from the outgoing Mayor of the district, cllr Bill Slattery (FG) after a proposal by cllr Joe Killeen (FF) and cllr Dinny Gould (IND).
In a brief speech summarising his 12 months as Cathaoirleach, Slattery thanked the office and ground staff of the district for their cooperation as well as his fellow cllrs. The Lahinch native also took time to welcome new Senior Engineer Paddy Tiernan to the district.
While he was gracious in transition, cllr Slattery noted that there was still a good deal of work to be done in the district, saying “I firmly believe we still have some distance to travel, Without adequate funding we are going nowhere. The public rightly expect a council that delivers better roads, improved amenities and vibrant towns and villages. A local authority budget can only stretch so far before it starts resembling an old tractor tyre tied together with bailing twine”, the Fine Gael representative continued.
Slattery’s proudest achievement in office was his work to alleviate the ongoing problem of Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon, something he stated he had been pursuing since 2011. The Lahinch man’s tenure seems to have finally brought a solution to the continual traffic problems the junction causes Ennistymon as Slattery told assembled guests “Thankfully after more twist and turns than the road itself, I am confident that we will wee shovels in the ground by late autumn, finally bringing an end to the saga that has tested the patience of an entire generation”.
Cllr Shannon took his seat at the top table following these remarks, becoming the first man from Quilty to assume the office. An unsuccessful candidate in 2004, Shannon was first elected 20 years later in the last round of local government elections and previously worked as an Aer Lingus Clerical officer.
Beginning his acceptance speech, Shannon thanked elected representatives for placing their trust in him and spoke of his intentions to maintain the West Clare MD’s power-sharing agreement going forward. The Fianna Fáil representative outlined his policies for the coming year, stating that “Our priorities coming here are to attract more investment in there from the physical infrastructure side and our waste water and water infrastructure. It all needs serious upgrading and serious investment and I will be working hard to retain that”.
Shannon highlighted that Clare had recently been chosen as European capital of volunteering for 2027, adding that “It’s no surprise volunteering is everywhere in West Clare whether it’s on the GAA pitch or welcoming people or caring for strangers, we’re renowned for it”. The Quilty man outlined the need for increased industrial investment in West Clare in order to retain the area’s population adding that the region comprises “2 MDs and is geographically the size of County Louth”.
Cllr Dinny Gould (IND) was chosen as Leas-Cathaoirleach after proposal by cllr Ian Lynch (IND) and seconding by cllr Bill Slattery (FG).
Former Cathaoirleach and party colleague cllr Rita McInerney congratulated Shannon on his appointment and added he had “a busy year ahead” with the upcoming Walker Cup and Irish Open. “It’s about having a focus, we have a busy year coming up and it’s about hitting the ground running. It can be hard to measure things and where your priorities lie about getting things done”, she added.
Cllr Joe Garrihy also spoke to congratulate the new Cathaoirleach and Leas-Cathaoirleach and identified his own experiences as a new cllr along with Shannon. “As a new cllr I learned how much demands there are and how difficult it is to meet expectations. The tireless work that ye do is admirable, we do work collectively and we have put an awful lot of time into plans. I’d like to see in the future and in the rest of this term being about projects getting over the line. We like to see actual boots on the grounds and we have the plans so let’s get on with the doing”, he continued.
This sentiment was echoed by cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) in his address to Shannon and Gould, who remarked “I think ye’ll be a strong point in West Clare. We’ll always be the poor relation in West Clare if we don’t get funding for our roads. Bill mentioned Blake’s Corner holding up the traffic for years and years nothing has happened, I think the man above would sort it out at this stage”, Keating added.
