A councillor embroiled in a row over who’ll wear the Cathaoirleach’s chains in East Clare over the next few months has dismissed the episode as a “political spat”.
Sparks flew at yesterday’s meeting of Killaloe Municipal District when Fine Gael’s Pat Burke contested the decision allowing the Leas Cathaoirleach, Fianna Fáil’s Pat Hayes, to ascend to the vacant top position.
Arguably Clare’s most harmonious municipal district became a battleground this week as the subject of which councillor will replace newly-elected Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney as Cathaoirleach dominated early discussions.
Prior to his election to Dáil Éireann in November, Deputy Cooney had been the appointed Cathaoirleach of Killaloe Municipal District for the 2024/25 Clare County Council term, with Maghera Councillor Pat Hayes serving as Leas Cathaoirleach.
Following O’Callaghan’s Mills native Conor Ryan’s co-option onto the municipal district in December, the newcomer quickly indicated his lack of interest in taking the reins just set.
Yesterday, it was proposed that Councillor Hayes would step up from his position as vice-chair to be at the helm of the MD until June, with Fianna Fáil councillors Tony O’Brien and Alan O’Callaghan backing the plan.
The development led Whitegate Councillor Pat Burke to accuse the Fianna Fáil contingent of “railroading” their Fine Gael counterparts and refusing to engage with him on the subject.
He claims it’s not unthinkable that the three Fianna Fáil councillors have a “plan up their sleeve” to ensure Councillor Ryan never has the opportunity to be Cathaoirelach in this term.
With four years left in this council term, it’s not yet clear if Councillor Hayes will serve a full year as Cathaoirleach at another stage or if Councillor Ryan will wear the chains for half of that year in order to ensure both representatives do a full stint.
Councillor Hayes believes a “flare-up” is healthy every once in a while and doesn’t envisage that the issue will be a cause of friction going forward.
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