Cllr. Fallon welcomed the Elected Members, Staaff and press to the Annual meeting to elect the Cathaoirleach for the new term.

He said it has been the best and worst of years that no one could have predicted but also a busy one. The best of years in how we rose to the challenge of the pandemic and the work done by all agencies working together that was exemplified by the local forum, the speed of government supports to the needful was welcomed, there were major announcements in the with the N5 approval, and €16m committed to regeneration works. From now on everything we do will be climate proofed and the commitment of Roscommon to a Climate Unit is welcome. The worst of years involved the Lough Funshinagh flooding crisis where the local councillors worked with the Chief Executive to find a solution and in the meantime the Council did great work to protect homes from flooding. The finding of a solution was not easy but the Chief Executive took a brave step to invoke the 1949 Act as he understood the magnitude of the situation. The Minister gave approval for emergency works that have started and Cllr. Fallon thanked the Director of Services and his staff for their work on this project. Finally, he thanked the officers who had help him in his term of office and wished the Cathaoirleach well.

The Chief Executive thanked Cllr. Fallon for his service as Cathaoirleach and for loyalty and support to him during the year. He commended his professionalism, financial perspective during this challenging times and his ability to lead and direct. He also commended the way in which he had dealt with the Lough Funshinagh crisis so professionally and wished him well in the future.

The members also paid tribute to Cllr. Fallon and his achievement in leading the Council to a permanent solution for Lough Funshinagh. They acknowledged the difficult year for his role as Cathaoirleach, in having to chair meetings remotely and in particular the Plenary meeting which was a totally new experience.

In accordance with Section 22(c) and Part V of the Local Government Reform    Act, 2014 to elect the Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council to hold office until his/her successor shall have been appointed in accordance with law.

The outgoing Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Fallon invited proposals for the election of Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council for the term 2021-2022.

It was PROPOSED by Councillor Cummins

          SECONDED by Councillor Crosby

That Councillor Joe Murphy be elected as Cathaoirleach.

It was PROPOSED by Councillor Ward

          SECONDED by Councillor Waldron

That Councillor Nigel Dineen be elected as Cathaoirleach

A vote was taken on the election of Cathaoirleach which resulted as follows:-

VOTING FOR THE ELECTION OF COUNCILLOR MURPHY:-  Councillors Callaghan, Crosby, Cummins, Fallon, Fitzmaurice, Kelly, Keogh, Leyden, McDermott, Murphy, Naughten. (11)

VOTING FOR THE ELECTION OF COUNCILLOR DINEEN:-  Councillors Dineen, Kilduff, Mulligan, Shanagher, Waldron, Ward (6)

ABSTAIN: Councillor Byrne (1)

Councillor Joe Murphy was duly elected as Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council.

In accordance with Section 22(c) and Part V of the Local Government Reform Act, 2014 to elect the Leas-Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council to hold office until his/her successor shall have been appointed in accordance with law.

The Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Murphy invited proposals for the election of Leas-Cathaoirleach.

It was PROPOSED by Councillor McDermott

          SECONDED by Councillor Naughten

That Councillor Orla Leyden be elected as Leas Cathaoirleach.

It was PROPOSED by Councillor Shanagher

          SECONDED by Councillor  Dineen

That Councillor Donal Kilduff be elected as Leas Cathaoirleach

A vote was taken on the election of Leas Cathaoirleach which resulted as follows:-

VOTING FOR THE ELECTION OF COUNCILLOR LEYDEN:-  Councillors Callaghan, Crosby, Cummins, Fallon, Fitzmaurice, Kelly, Keogh, Leyden, McDermott, Murphy, Naughten. (11)

VOTING FOR THE ELECTION OF COUNCILLOR KILDUFF :-  Councillors Dineen, Kilduff,  Mulligan, Shanagher, Ward, Waldron (6)

ABSTAIN: Councillor Byrne

Cllr. Orla Leyden was deemed elected as Leas Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council

Cllr. Leyden thanked the members for the great honour in being appointed as Leas Cathaoirleach and thanked out going Leas Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Marty McDermott for his work last year. The members wished her well in his appointment.

To fix dates on which the County Council Meetings will be held within the period to June 2022 (Provisional list of dates attached).

On the PROPOSAL  of Councillor Fitzmaurice

             SECONDED by Councillor Keogh

It was AGREED that the following should be the dates for holding the Plenary Meetings in 2021-2022:  

26th July, 2021

No Meeting in August

27^th September 2021

18^th October 2021

22nd November 2021

20^th December 2021

24^th  January 2022

28th  February 2022

28th  March 2022

25^th April 2022

23^rd  May 2022

27^th June 2022 -  Annual Meeting

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Leyden

SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED that Cllr. John Keogh be appointed as Chairperson of the Economic Development and Enterprise Support (including Tourism Culture and Libraries) SPC to replace Cllr. Orla Leyden.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Dineen

SECONDED by Cllr. Shangher

It was AGREED that Cllr. Tony Ward be appointed as Chairperson of the Roads, Transportation and Emergency Services SPC to replace Cllr. Nigel Dineen.

The new Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Murphy addressed the Chamber and thanked Cllr. Dineen and Cllr. Kilduff for standing for the positions as it is very important for democracy.

He paid tribute to the outgoing Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Fallon for his leadership during the past year, a very difficult one due to the pandemic.

He stated that since he was co-opted and subsequently elected to the Council in 2019, his priorities were to assist communities and promote County Roscommon as a place to live in, work in and visit. The pandemic over the past year and made everything local and we need to rediscover what our county has to offer. Never before has there been availability of as much funding for projects we need to access as much of this as possible to rejuvenate our county. It is important that we protect traditional farming but we must be face the challenges of climate change.The closure of Bord an Mona has been a huge blow to this county and Just Transition  must provide sustainable solutions.He would like to see a footbridge over the River Shannon in Rooskey during his term as Cathaoirleach.

He welcomed the imminent commencement of construction of the N5, which will create a direct route to the West and at the same time being mindful of the regeneration of the towns and villages bypassed.

Roscommon County Council must continue to lobby for financial and postal services for all areas of our county. The Local Authorities and postal services ensured through their actions during the pandemic that people maintained their independence.

Littering is a big issue but it is enlightening to see what can be achieved – we must actively engage with litter picks and the Council can provide the tools to help.

We are now part of the Hidden Heartlands tourism area and promote our walking, cycling and heritage trails and can provide a fun filled break for all. Included in provision of leisure facilities, those with mobility issues must also be catered for and he will be particularly invested in listening to inclusion/diversity and those marginalised during his tenure. He commended the young people of the country and county for their resilience during Covid. He looks forward to working with the Chief Executive and staff in the coming year.

Finally the new Cathaoirleach thanked his campaign team and colleagues in an Post  and his family, his mother, his wife Nicola and sons Conor and Oisin and noted that his late father would be very proud to have a second son elected as Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council.

The members congratulated Cllr. Murphy on his new role as Cathaoirleach and wished him well for the coming year.