Carlow County Council

Carlow County Council (Irish: Comhairle Chontae Cheatharlach) is the local authority of County Carlow, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment.^[1] The council has 18 elected members. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (chairperson). The county administration is headed by a chief executive, Kathleen Holohan. The county town is Carlow.

Carlow County Council Comhairle Chontae Cheatharlach
Type
Type	County council
Leadership
Cathaoirleach	Fergal Browne, FG
Structure
Seats	18
Political groups	Fine Gael (6)   Fianna Fáil (5)   Sinn Féin (2)   Independent Ireland (1)   Labour (1)   PBP–Solidarity (1)   Independent (2)
Elections
Last election	7 June 2024
Meeting place
County Buildings, Athy Road, Carlow
Website
Official website

The area governed by the council

History

Carlow County Council was established on 1 April 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 for the administrative county of County Carlow.^[2][3] That included the judicial county of Carlow and the part of County Laois (then called Queen's County) containing the town of Carlow.^[4]

Before 1925, the chair of each rural district council sat as an ex officio member of the council.^[5] Under the Local Government Act 1925, rural district councils in Ireland were abolished and their functions transferred to the county councils.^[6] In County Carlow, these were the districts of Baltinglass No. 2, Carlow and Idrone.^[7] The number of members of the county council increased from 20 to 26.^[8][9][10]

In 1942, in an order under the Local Government Act 1941, the number of councillors was reduced to 21.^[11][12] This figure was restated by the Local Government Act 2001.^[13]

In November 2012, Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, appointed a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee to review the allocation of seats and the local electoral areas across local authorities. In the case of Carlow County Council, it recommended a decrease to 18 seats.^[14] This was implemented by the Local Government Reform Act 2014.^[15] In addition, all town councils in Ireland were abolished and their functions transferred to the county councils. In County Carlow, these were the town councils of Carlow and Muinebheag.^[16]

The council originally met in Carlow Courthouse.^[17] The council established their County Secretary's Office at 1 Athy Road in the former offices and printing works of the Carlow Sentinel which ceased publication after the First World War.^[18][19] The council subsequently moved further north along Athy Road into modern premises which are now known as the County Buildings.^[20]

Regional Assembly

Carlow County Council has two representatives on the Southern Regional Assembly who are part of the South-East Strategic Planning Area Committee.^[21]

Elections

Members of Carlow County Council are elected for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote from multi-member local electoral areas.

Year		FF		FG		Lab		SF		PBP		GP		II		PDs		Ind	Total
2024	5		6		1		2		1		0		1		—		2		18
2019	6		6		2		1		1		0		—		—		2		18
2014	6		5		2		3		0		0		—		—		2		18
2009	4		10		5		0		—		0		—		—		2		21
2004	8		7		4		0		—		1		—		1		0		21
1999	9		7		3		0		—		0		—		0		0		21
1991	9		7		4		0		—		0		—		1		0		21
1985	10		7		3		0		—		0		—		—		1		21
1979	8		9		3		0		—		—		—		—		1		21

Local electoral areas and municipal districts

County Carlow is divided into three local electoral areas, defined by electoral divisions, each of which also forms a municipal district.^[22][23]

LEA and Municipal District	Electoral divisions	Seats
Carlow	Ballinacarrig, Burton Hall, Carlow Rural, Carlow Urban, Graigue Urban and Johnstown.	7
Muine Bheag	Agha, Ballyellin, Ballymoon, Ballymurphy, Borris, Clogrenan, Coonogue, Corries, Fennagh, Garryhill, Glynn, Killedmond, Kyle, Leighlinbridge, Marley, Muinebeag Rural, Muinebeag Urban, Nurney, Oldleighlin, Rathanna, Rathornan, Ridge, Sliguff and Tinnahinch.	5
Tullow	Ballintemple, Ballon, Clonegall, Clonmore, Cranemore, Grangeford, Hacketstown, Haroldstown, Kellistown, Kilbride, Killerrig, Kineagh, Myshall, Rahill, Rathrush, Rathvilly, Shangarry, Tankardstown, Templepeter, Tiknock, Tullow Rural, Tullow Urban, Tullowbeg and Williamstown.	6

Current councillors

The following were elected at the 2024 Carlow County Council election.

Party		Seats
	Fine Gael	6
	Fianna Fáil	5
	Sinn Féin	2
	Independent Ireland	1
	Labour	1
	PBP–Solidarity	1
	Independent	2

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.^[24]

Council members from 2024 election
Local electoral area	Name	Party
Carlow	Fintan Phelan		Fianna Fáil
	Andrea Dalton		Fianna Fáil
	Fergal Browne		Fine Gael
	John Cassin		Independent Ireland
	Ken Murnane		Fianna Fáil
	Paul Doogue		Fine Gael
	Adrienne Wallace		PBP–Solidarity
Muine Bheag	Thomas Kinsella		Fine Gael
	Willie Quinn		Labour
	Andy Gladney		Sinn Féin
	Daniel Pender		Fianna Fáil
	Michael Doran		Fine Gael
Tullow	John Pender		Fianna Fáil
	Charlie Murphy		Independent
	William Paton		Independent
	Ben Ward		Fine Gael
	Brian O'Donoghue		Fine Gael
	Jim Deane		Sinn Féin

References

1. "All Services". Carlow County Council. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
2. Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, s. 1: Establishment of county councils (61 & 62 Vict., c. 37 of 1898, s. 1). Enacted on 12 August 1898. Act of the UK Parliament. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
3. Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, s. 124: Commencement of Act (61 & 62 Vict., c. 37 of 1898, s. 124). Enacted on 12 August 1898. Act of the UK Parliament. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
4. "Orders declaring the boundaries of administrative counties and defining county electoral divisions: County of Carlow". 27th Report of the Local Government Board for Ireland (Cmd. 9480). Dublin: Local Government Board for Ireland. 1900. p. 241.
5. Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, s. 3: Additional members and chairman and vice-chairman of county council, and constitution of chairman as justice (61 & 62 Vict., c. 37 of 1898, s. 3). Enacted on 12 August 1898. Act of the UK Parliament. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
6. Local Government Act 1925, s. 3: Abolition of rural district councils (No. 5 of 1925, s. 3). Enacted on 26 March 1925. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
7. "Table 9: Population, Area and Valuation of urban and rural districts and of all towns with a population of 1,500 inhabitants or over, showing particulars of town and village population and of the number of persons per 100 acres" (PDF). 1926 Census. Central Statistics Office. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
8. "Appendix: Local Electoral Areas". Annual report of the Local Government Board for Ireland for year 1921. Local Government Board for Ireland. 1921. p. 15.
9. Local Government Act 1925, s. 57: Membership of county councils (No. 5 of 1925, s. 57). Enacted on 26 March 1925. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
10. "Table 6: Population, etc., of each County Electoral Area, each Borough Electoral Area and of each Rural District of County Dublin" (PDF). 1926 Census. Central Statistics Office. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
11. "Table 6: Population, Area and Valuation of each County Electoral Area and of each Borough Electoral Area" (PDF). 1946 Census. Central Statistics Office. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
12. Local Government Act 1941, s. 33: Number of members of councils of counties (No. 23 of 1941, s. 33). Enacted on 23 September 1941. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
13. Local Government Act 2001, 7th Sch.: Number of members of local authorities (No. 37 of 2001, 7th Sch.). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
14. "Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report 2013" (PDF). Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee. 29 May 2013. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
15. Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 15: Number of members of local authorities (No. 1 of 2014, s. 15). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
16. Local Government Reform Act 2014, s. 24: Dissolution of town councils and transfer date (No. 1 of 2014, s. 24). Enacted on 27 January 2014. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 21 May 2022.
17. "History of the Carlow Regional Technical College and the Institute of Technology, Carlow" (PDF). Carloviana. 2010. p. 61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
18. "Dublin Street 1985". Ireland Genealogical Projects. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
19. Tracy, Alice (1 December 1953). "The Story of Athy Road" (PDF). Carloviana. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
20. "Local Authorities". Oireachtas. 26 May 1982. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
21. Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014, Article 5 and Schedule 3 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 20 April 2023.
22. County of Carlow Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 (S.I. No. 610 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 19 January 2019.
23. "Carlow Local Electoral Area Boundaries and Polling Stations".
24. "Carlow County Council – Elected Candidates". RTÉ News. Retrieved 12 June 2024.

External links

• Official website