Offaly County Council

Offaly County Council (Irish: Comhairle Chontae Uíbh Fhailí) is the local authority of County Offaly, 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. The council has 19 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (chairperson). The county administration is headed by a chief executive, Anna Marie Delaney. The county town is Tullamore.

Offaly County Council Comhairle Chontae Uíbh Fhailí
Type
Type	County council of County Offaly
Leadership
Cathaoirleach	Audrey Hennessy Kennedy, FF
Structure
Seats	19
Political groups	Fianna Fáil (7)   Fine Gael (5)   Sinn Féin (3)   Independent Ireland (1)   Independent (3)
Elections
Last election	7 June 2024
Motto
Latin: Esto Fidelis "Be Faithful"
Meeting place
Áras an Chontae, Tullamore
Website
Official website

The area governed by the council

History

Offaly County Council was established on 1 April 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 for the administrative county of County Offaly (then titled King's County).^[1][2][3] Originally Tullamore Courthouse had been the meeting place of Offaly County Council.^[4][5] The county council moved to modern facilities at Áras an Chontae in 2002.^[6]

Regional Assembly

Offaly County Council has two representatives on the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly who are part of the Midland Strategic Planning Area Committee.^[7]

Elections

Members of Offaly 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 (PR-STV) from multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).

Year		FF		FG		Ren		IDP		SD		GP		SF		II		PDs		Lab		Ind	Total
2024	8		5		0		0		0		0		3		1		—		0		2		19
2019	8		4		1		1		1		1		0		—		—		0		3		19
2014	8		3		—		—		—		0		3		—		—		0		5		19
2009	9		6		—		—		—		0		0		—		—		0		6		21
2004	8		6		—		—		—		0		0		—		2		0		5		21
1999	9		7		—		—		—		0		0		—		0		1		4		21
1991	10		6		—		—		—		0		0		—		1		1		3		21
1985	12		6		—		—		—		0		0		—		—		0		3		21

Local electoral areas and municipal districts

County Offaly is divided into LEAs, defined by electoral divisions, to elect members of the council and into municipal districts for governance at a local level.^[8]

Municipal District and LEA	Definition	Seats
Birr	Aghancon, Ballincor, Banagher, Barna, Birr Rural, Birr Urban, Broughal, Cangort, Cloghan, Clonmacnoise, Cullenwaine, Derrinboy, Derryad, Doon, Dromoyle, Drumcullen, Dunkerrin, Eglish, Ettagh, Ferbane, Gallen, Gorteen (in the former Rural District of Roscrea No. 2), Hinds, Huntston, Kilcolman, Kilcormac, Killooly, Killyon, Kinnitty, Knockbarron, Lea, Letter, Lumcloon, Lusmagh, Mounterin, Mountheaton, Moyclare, Roscomroe, Seirkieran, Shannonbridge, Shannonharbour, Shinrone, Srah, Templeharry and Tulla	6
Edenderry	Ballaghassaan, Ballyburly, Ballycommon, Ballymacwilliam, Ballyshear, Bracknagh, Clonbulloge, Clonmore, Clonygowan, Croghan, Daingean, Edenderry Rural, Edenderry Urban, Esker, Geashill, Hammerlane, Kilclonfert, Knockdrin, Monasteroris, Mountbriscoe, ODempsey, Portarlington North, Raheenakeeran and Rathfeston	6
Tullamore	Ballycumber, Bawn, Cappancur, Clara, Derrycooly, Durrow, Gorteen (in the former Rural District of Tullamore), Kilcumreragh, Killeigh, Killoughy, Rahan, Rathrobin, Screggan, Silverbrook, Tinamuck, Tinnycross, Tullamore Rural and Tullamore Urban	7

Councillors

2024 seats summary

Party		Seats
	Fianna Fáil	8
	Fine Gael	5
	Sinn Féin	3
	Independent Ireland	1
	Independent	2

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.^[9]

Council members from 2024 election
LEA	Name	Party
Birr	Peter Ormond		Fianna Fáil
	John Leahy		Independent
	John Clendennen[a]		Fine Gael
	Hugh Egan		Fine Gael
	Sean Maher		Sinn Féin
	Audrey Hennessy Kennedy		Fianna Fáil
Edenderry	Eddie Fitzpatrick[b]		Fianna Fáil
	Fergus McDonnell		Independent Ireland
	Claire Murray		Fianna Fáil
	Liam Quinn		Fine Gael
	Noel Cribbin		Fine Gael
	Claire Murray		Sinn Féin
Tullamore	Neil Feighery		Fine Gael
	Frank Moran		Fianna Fáil
	Seán O'Brien		Independent
	Tony McCormack[a]		Fianna Fáil
	Aoife Masterson		Sinn Féin
	Declan Harvey		Fianna Fáil
	Ollie Bryant		Fianna Fáil

Notes

1. Replaced during term, see table below for details.
2. Changed party, see table below for details.

Co-options

Party		Outgoing	LEA	Reason	Date	Co-optee
	Fianna Fáil	Tony McCormack	Tullamore	Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election	16 December 2024	Shane Murray[10]
	Fine Gael	John Clendennen	Birr	Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election	16 December 2024	Eleanor Clendennen[11]

Changes in affiliation

Name	LEA	Elected as		New affiliation		Date
Eddie Fitzpatrick	Edenderry		Fianna Fáil		Independent	8 October 2024[12]

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. "Orders declaring the boundaries of administrative counties and defining county electoral divisions: King's County". 27th Report of the Local Government Board for Ireland (Cmd. 9480). Dublin: Local Government Board for Ireland. 1900. p. 278.
4. Byrne, Michael (15 June 2019). "Local Government in Offaly: The county council and marking 120 years of local democracy". Offaly History. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
5. "Tullamore Courthouse" (PDF). NMA Architects. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
6. "Áras an Chontae, Tullamore". Irish architecture awards. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
7. 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 1 May 2023.
8. County of Offaly Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 (S.I. No. 630 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 11 September 2020.
9. "Offaly County Council – Elected Candidates". RTÉ News. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
10. "Popular community champion selected to replace newly elected Dail Deputy on Offaly County Council". Offalylive. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
11. Grennan, Geraldine (16 December 2024). "Two new Cllrs co-opted onto Offaly County Council". Offaly Independent. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
12. Gearoid, Keegan (8 October 2024). "Election shock in Portarlington as Fianna Fail councillor opts to run for Dail as independent". Leinster Express. Retrieved 11 October 2024.

External links

• Official website