Clonlara Councillor Michael Begley has been elected as the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council.
He’s become the 46th person to hold the title of Clare’s first citizen, and the first ever from Clonlara, and the wider South-East Clare area.
First elected as a Councillor in 1991, he served first as a Fianna Fáil representative until 2004, and has been an Independent representative since he was re-elected in 2009.
His wife Fidelma, sons Eoghan, Micheál and Feilim, and a wider circle of family and friends are in the Council Chambers this afternoon to see his election, after which the new Cathaoirleach thanked his fellow Councillors who elected him into the role, calling it his proudest moment in politics.
A passionate Irish speaker, he spoke of a desire for the Council to support the Irish language, especially on Loop head, and he suggested that the local authority promoted ‘Clare’s hidden voices’ – people who have made contributions to the county but have been somewhat somewhat forgotten.
Councillor Begley replaces outgoing Cathaoirleach Tom McNamara of Kilmaley.
From Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, Fianna Fáil’s Alan O’Callaghan has been elected as Leas-Cathaoirleach, replacing Whitegate Fine Gael Councillor Pat Burke.
