Thurles Municipal District councillors elect new leadership at June meeting
Cllr Sean Ryan and Cllr Shane Lee were elected at the June meeting
Councillors in the Thurles Municipal District (MD) elected a new Cathaoirleach and Leas-Cathaoirleach at their June meeting, with Fianna Fáil councillor Sean Ryan and Team Lowry councillor Shane Lee taking up the respective roles.
They succeed Cllr Peggy Ryan and Cllr Eddie Moran, who have served in the positions for the past 12 months.
Before the election of her successor, outgoing Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Ryan reflected on her year in office and thanked fellow councillors and her family for their support.
"Reflecting on the past year, I want to thank you all for being so collaborative. I also want to thank my parents for being so supportive throughout the year," she said.
Cllr Ryan said she believed it had been a positive year for the district, highlighting the success of the Market Quarter in Thurles and the growth of arts and culture across the town.
"I think that we've had a very positive year in our district, especially with the opening of the Market Quarter, which has been a phenomenal success on Saturdays here in Thurles.
"What has been done for arts and culture in Thurles is second to none and the direction of arts in Thurles is going in a fantastic direction. We saw this particularly in what Jessie Buckley and Kerrie Condon have achieved, which has shown that Thurles is a place where we can be very ambitious when it comes to the development of the arts sector."
Cllr Sean Ryan was proposed for the role by Cllr Michael Smith, who praised outgoing Cathaoirleach Peggy Ryan for what he described as a successful year in office, calling her "solid, professional and fair". The nomination was seconded by Cllr Willie Kennedy and approved by the chamber.
Taking the chair for the third time, Cllr Sean Ryan thanked his fellow councillors for their support.
"Thanks to my fellow councillors, I am very honoured to be elected Cathaoirleach of this district for the third time today," he said.
Cllr Ryan thanked his proposer and seconder, his family, colleagues and the people of his home parish of Moycarkey-Borris.
After congratulating Cllr Peggy Ryan on her year in office, he said he looked forward to working on a number of major projects across the district, including the public realm and Castle Street developments in Roscrea, plans for a new business park in Templemore, and further progress on the Market Quarter, the Thurles ring road and housing developments across North Tipperary.
He added that he intends to focus on advancing a number of capital projects during his term, including the CCTV programme in Littleton and efforts to improve safety at Turtulla Cross.