Cllr Willliam O'Leary elected new chairperson of Northern Committee
The Northern Committee is comprised of 15 councillors from the Kanturk/Mallow and Fermoy municipal districts.
Cllr O'Leary succeeds Fianna Fáil councillor Ian Doyle who received lavish praise from his political colleagues for his professionalism during his tenure.
Cllr Frank O'Flynn paid tribute to the outgoing chair. 'The meetings were very positive and very well organised. You were very fair and you gave everyone an opportunity.'
Fine Gael councillor Tony O'Shea also thanked Cllr Ian Doyle for his contribution and professionalism throughout the year.
He also wished Cllr O'Leary all the very best in the year ahead.
Cllr O'Leary who is based in Rathcormac was nominated for the role of chair by Cllr Frank O'Flynn and Cllr Peter O'Donoghue.
Cllr O'Flynn said Mr O'Leary is firmly 'embedded' in the local community and a man destined for greater things. 'William is a second time councillor in the area. He is a colleague of ours in the Fermoy MD. He is very well known in this area. He is very embedded in the local community and in the GAA with Bride Rovers who are synonymous with success. I think William is a man destined for greater things.'
Independent councillor Peter O'Donoghue who seconded the nomination said William is a great representative for all the people in the Northern Division. 'He is widely respected by all political parties and by all Independents. He does Trojan work for the area. He is a fair and reasonable person. He would be the ideal candidate for chair of this division.'
Cllr O'Leary was subsequently elected as chair for 2025-26 and he began his opening speech by thanking Cllr O'Flynn and Cllr O'Donoghue for the nomination. 'I want to congratulate the outgoing chair Ian Doyle and I want to wish him well in his year as deputy mayor. He is a very popular member of Cork County Council.
'I will keep the programme of work going,' said Cllr O'Leary. 'It is an important committee. We have our directorates coming in here and it is an opportunity to work with them. I might be a bit quieter up here than down there. I will try anyway.'
Fianna Fáil councillor Nelius Cotter was elected as the new vice-chairperson of the Northern Committee.
Cllr Frank O'Flynn who proposed Cllr Cotter for the role said he is very much stepped in farming organisations. 'He was a first-time candidate in the last election and he got elected in the Fermoy local electoral area. He is very much embedded in the community and especially in the farming organisations. He came up through the Fianna Fáil ranks.'
Fianna Fáil councillor Ian Doyle seconded the nomination of Cllr Cotter.
The new chairperson received warm and very supportive messages from all his political colleagues.
Cllr Pat Hayes thanked Cllr Ian Doyle for his work over the last year before wishing Cllr O'Leary and Cllr Cotter the very best in their new roles for the coming year.
Cllr Gearoid Murphy (Fianna Fáil) also offered warm congratulations to Cllr O'Leary: 'It is not an easy job. There are 15 of us in here. In terms of the population that we represent in the Northern Division, it is bigger than some county councils. Best of luck. You have great experience and I'm sure the next year will run smoothly.'
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