Ken Murnane takes hot seat at county council

CLLR Ken Murnane of Fianna Fáil was elected as the new cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council at the local authority’s annual general meeting last week, with fellow councillors praising his dedication to constituents and his family’s long history of public service.

Fellow Fianna Fáil councillor Fintan Phelan, who nominated cllr Murnane for the position, said that “his level of care and compassion for his constituents is unrivalled”.

Cllr Phelan highlighted the Murnane family’s extensive contribution to public life, noting that “today is a very proud day for the Murnane family”. He said that between the new cathaoirleach’s late father Jimmy, his sister minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor and cllr Murnane himself, “they have given over 50 years of public service to the people of Carlow”.

The nomination was seconded by cllr Andrea Dalton, who said that “anyone who knows Ken knows he puts his heart and soul into all the work he does”.

In a separate nomination, cllr Phelan also put forward Daniel Pender as leas-cathaoirleach, following his recent appointment as cathaoirleach of the municipal district of Muinebheag.

Upon his election, cllr Murnane expressed his gratitude to fellow councillors, saying it was “a great honour to be voted in as the new cathaoirleach of Carlow Co Council”. He added, with humour: “I hope that you’ll be saying nice things about me at the end of my term.” 

In his acceptance speech, the new cathaoirleach outlined his optimistic vision for the county’s development. “I believe that Carlow has a bright future,” he said, pointing to several key projects on the horizon.

Cllr Murnane highlighted upcoming opportunities including “the URDF [Urban Regeneration and Development Fund], hopefully a second bus route and even a private hospital in the pipeline”.

He expressed confidence in Carlow Co Council chief executive Coilín O’Reilly’s strategic planning, stating: “I do believe that the county manager does have a vision for Carlow and I do believe that vision will come. And I do believe every member here will support the county manager in delivering what he believes will be a far better Carlow.” 

The new cathaoirleach also praised Carlow’s current Dáil representation, describing the county as fortunate to have strong political voices at national level. “We are lucky: we have a minister for state in Jennifer Murnane O’Connor and we have Catherine O’Callaghan ‒ two strong women,” he said. “I believe that these two women will deliver the funding that we need to progress this county.”