Kilkenny County Council

Kilkenny County Council (Irish: Comhairle Chontae Chill Chainnigh) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kilkenny, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 24 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (chairperson). The county administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Colette Byrne. The county town is Kilkenny city.

Kilkenny County Council Comhairle Chontae Chill Chainnigh
Type
Type	County council
Leadership
Cathaoirleach	David Fitzgerald, FG
Structure
Seats	24
Political groups	Fianna Fáil (11)   Fine Gael (8)   Labour Party (1)   Green Party (1)   Sinn Féin (1)   Independent (2)
Elections
Last election	24 May 2019
Meeting place
County Hall, Kilkenny
Website
Official website

The area governed by the council

History

The county council originally met at Kilkenny Courthouse.^[1] By the second half of the 20th century it had moved to new offices at John's Green House.^[2] The county council moved to its current home, County Hall, in 1994.^[3]

In 2000, as part of a government initiative called "Better Local Government – A Programme for Change", a new structure was introduced to Kilkenny County Council which included five Strategic Policy Committees.^[4]

Regional Assembly

Kilkenny County Council has two representatives on the Southern Regional Assembly who are part of the South-East Strategic Planning Area Committee.^[5]

Local electoral areas and municipal districts

Kilkenny County Council is divided into the following municipal districts and local electoral areas, defined by electoral divisions.^[6]

Municipal District and LEA	Definition	Seats
Callan–Thomastown	Aghaviller, Ballyhale, Ballyvool, Bennettsbridge, Boolyglass, Bramblestown, Brownsford, Burnchurch, Callan Rural, Callan Urban, Castlebanny, Coolaghmore, Coolhill, Danesfort, Dunbell, Dunnamaggan, Dysartmoon, Earlstown, Ennisnag, Famma, Freaghana, Graiguenamanagh, Grange, Inistioge, Jerpoint Church, Kells, Kilfane, Killamery, Kilmaganny, Kiltorcan, Knocktopher, Mallardstown, Outrath, Pleberstown, Powerstown, Rosbercon Rural, Scotsborough, Stonyford, The Rower, Thomastown, Tullaghanbrogue, Tullaherin, Tullahought, Ullard and Woolengrange.	6
Castlecomer	Attanagh, Balleen, Ballinamara, Ballybeagh, Ballycallan, Ballyconra, Ballyragget, Baunmore, Castlecomer, Clara, Clogh, Clogharinka, Clomantagh, Coolcraheen, Freshford, Galmoy, Glashare, Goresbridge, Gowran, Johnstown, Kilkieran, Kilmacar, Kilmanagh, Lisdowney, Moneenroe, Mothell, Muckalee (in the former Rural District of Castlecomer), Odagh, Paulstown, Rathbeagh, Rathcoole, Rathealy, Shankill, Tiscoffin, Tubbridbrittain, Tullaroan and Urlingford.	6
Kilkenny City	Dunmore, Kilkenny No. 1 Urban, Kilkenny No. 2 Urban, Kilkenny Rural and St. Canice.	7
Piltown	Aglish, Ballincrea, Castlegannon, Dunkitt, Farnoge, Fiddown, Jerpoint West, Kilbeacon, Kilbride, Kilcolumb, Kilculliheen (part), Kilkeasy, Killahy, Kilmakevoge, Listerlin, Muckalee (in the former Rural District of Carrick-on-Suir No. 3), Pilltown, Pollrone, Portnascully, Rathpatrick, Rossinan, Shanbogh, Templeorum, Tubbrid, Ullid and Whitechurch.	5

Councillors

The following were elected at the 2019 Kilkenny County Council election, under the boundaries which existed at the time.^[7]

2019 seats summary

Party		Seats^[8]
	Fianna Fáil	11
	Fine Gael	9
	Labour	2
	Green	1
	Independent	1

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 24 May 2019.

Council members from 2019 election
Local electoral area	Name	Party
Callan-Thomastown	Peter Cleere		Fianna Fáil
	Matt Doran		Fianna Fáil
	Michael Doyle		Fine Gael
	Patrick O'Neill		Fine Gael
	Deirdre Cullen		Fianna Fáil
	Joe Lyons		Fine Gael
Castlecomer	Pat Fitzpatrick		Fianna Fáil
	Mary Hilda Cavanagh		Fine Gael
	Michael McCarthy		Fianna Fáil
	John Brennan		Fine Gael
	Michael Delaney		Fianna Fáil
	Denis Hynes^[a]		Labour
Kilkenny	Andrew McGuinness		Fianna Fáil
	Malcolm Noonan^[b]		Green
	Joe Malone		Fianna Fáil
	David Fitzgerald		Fine Gael
	Eugene McGuinness		Independent
	John Coonan		Fianna Fáil
	Martin Brett^[a]		Fine Gael
Piltown	Pat Dunphy		Fine Gael
	Tomás Breathnach		Labour
	Fidelis Doherty		Fine Gael
	Eamon Aylward		Fianna Fáil
	Ger Frisby		Fianna Fáil

Notes

1. Changed party, see table below for details.
2. Replaced during term, see table below for details.

Co-options

Party		Outgoing	Electoral area	Reason	Date	Co-optee
	Green	Malcolm Noonan	Kilkenny	Elected as a TD for Carlow–Kilkenny at the 2020 general election	February 2020	Maria Dollard

Changes in affiliation

Name	Electoral area	Elected as		New affiliation		Date
Martin Brett	Kilkenny		Fine Gael		Independent	August 2020
Denis Hynes	Castlecomer		Labour		Sinn Féin	November 2021^[9]

References

1. "About Us". Kilkenny County Council. from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
2. "Local Authorities". Oireachtas. 26 May 1982. from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
3. "The modern era". Ask about Ireland. from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
4. "Local Government Reform". Kilkenny County Council. from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
5. Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014, Article 5 and Schedule 3 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 23 April 2023.
6. County of Kilkenny Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts Order 2018 (S.I. No. 621 of 2018). Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 May 2019.
7. "2014 Local elections – Kilkenny County Council". ElectionsIreland.org. from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
8. "Local elections 2014". Kilkenny County Council. from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
9. "Kilkenny county councillor leaves Labour to join Sinn Féin". KCLR 96FM. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.

Sources

• Tom Boyle and Michael O'Dwyer. Kilkenny County Council: A Century of Local Government. Kilkenny: Kilkenny County Council, 1999.

External links

• Official website