Last meeting for three Nenagh district councillors

It was a “sad day in some ways” last Thursday as three outgoing councillors attended their last meeting of Nenagh Municipal District.

Cllrs Ger Darcy, Hughie McGrath and John Rocky McGrath are not standing for re-election in next month's local elections. Presentations of Tipperary Crystal were made to each of them at the end of the meeting to mark their years of service.

For Cllr Hughie McGrath, who was first elected to the old Nenagh Town Council in 2004, his final meeting as a councillor was a poignant occasion. “I always feel at home here,” he remarked.

“I always believed that this is our home”.

He looked at the names on the wall of past members of the old town council, all of whom he recognised.

These were people that he grew up with and they had served the people of the town.

He was privileged to follow in their service, and he said he could not have asked for a better executive in helping him toward that end over the years.

Tipperary Co Council is “a different animal”, Cllr McGrath said.

“I lost my grá for it after 2014”, when the north and south Tipp councils were merged to become a 40-member authority.

He said an organisation of such size is too big to facilitate local democracy.

Parting ways, Cllr McGrath hoped that the six councillors seeking re-election in June would be successful.

“You deserve to because you've worked so hard,” he commented.

CHANGING TIMES

Cllr Ger Darcy reflected on how the times have changed since he was first elected to the old North Tipperary Co Council in 1991.

He used to be a member of a four-seat area council in Borrisokane; this then became a three-seater before the integration into Nenagh Municipal District.

Cllr Darcy paid tribute to all the council staff he worked with over the last 33 years, including District Administrator Rosemary Joyce, who was on the council when he was first elected.

He also paused for thought for those who have passed away in that time.

While he believed the new county council structure “has a place”, Cllr Darcy agreed that district level is “where we get our work done”. Wishing all well for the future, he said it is important to have good public representation because there are parts of the world that do not have that.

Cllr Rocky McGrath served the council between 2009 and 2014 and 2019 to 2024. He was Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District for the last 12 months and said it was a great honour to have the chair.

While there was more he would like to have achieved, Cllr McGrath said he enjoyed his time on the council. He thanked all who worked with him and singled out Ms Joyce for particular praise.

“Rosemary is a genius at everything she does, and she does everything.”

Councillors joined in paying tribute to the three retirees, Cllr John Carroll remarking that the meeting was a “sad day in some ways”.

He said all three had refrained from talking about problems and concentrated on finding solutions; this was the mark of a good public representative.

District Director Liam Brett joined in the tributes, as did Ms Joyce, who spoke of the spirit of teamwork in the district.

“This is like a family here,” she observed, adding that all involved were sure to remain friends in future.