Two Laois councils elect new leaders
Laois Co Council officials Simon Walton and Wes Wilkinson with new chair of Portlaoise MD Cllr Barry Walsh and vice chair Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald after their election on 17 June, with Cllr Marie Tuohy, Cllr Pady Buggy, Cllr John Joe Fennelly, Cllr Tommy Mulligan and Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley. Photo: Laois Co Council
TWO municipal districts in Laois have new leaders, following annual elections this week.
Fine Gael’s Cllr Barry Walsh was elected Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of Portlaoise Municipal District (MD), while Independent Cllr Ben Brennan took the reins in Graiguecullen-Portarlington MD on 17 June.
Cllr Walsh from Ballyroan is in the unusual position of being chairperson of both Laois Co Council and Portlaoise MD, at least until his successor as the county’s first citizen is elected at the county council AGM on 29 June.
Portlaoise MD covers a wide area that includes not only the county town but also Abbeyleix, Ballyroan, Ballinakill and surrounding areas.
As part of the ongoing pact between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on the seven-member Portlaoise MD council, Cllr Walsh was proposed by Cllr Paddy Buggy (FG) and seconded by Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald (FF).
A councillor since February 2022, Cllr Walsh takes over for the next year from outgoing Cathaoirleach Cllr John Joe Fennelly (FF) from Abbeyleix.
Meanwhile, Cllr Fitzgerald was elected Leas-Cathaoirleach (vice-chairperson) for 2026/27, proposed by Cllr Fennelly and seconded by Cllr Buggy.
As the two main parties have a 4/3 majority in Portlaoise MD, the ‘technical group’ made up of Labour’s Cllr Marie Tuohy and Independents Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley and Cllr Tommy Mulligan were again unsuccessful in the election.
Independent Republican Cllr Dwane Stanley was proposed as chairperson by Cllr Mulligan and seconded by Cllr Tuohy, while Cllr Tuohy was proposed as vice-chair by Cllr Dwane Stanley and seconded by Cllr Mulligan.
It was a different story that afternoon at the AGM of Graiguecullen-Portarlington MD, where Independents hold three of the six seats and the plum roles are rotated.
Cllr Ben Brennan (Ind) from Crettyard is the new chairperson, taking over from Cllr Vivienne Phelan (FG), while Cllr Paschal McEvoy (FF) from Stradbally is the new vice-chair.
Cllr Brennan, who was absent from the meeting, was proposed by fellow Independent Cllr Aidan Mullins from Portarlington and has been a county councillor since 2009.
All three Laois MDs now have new leaders for the next year. The previous week, Independent Cllr Ollie Clooney from Durrow was elected Cathaoirleach of the six-seat Mountmellick/Borris-in-Ossory MD, in return for supporting the FF/FG alliance.
