Cllr JP O'Meara is new Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District
New Chairman says Housing Crisis is the most serious issue in North Tipperary
CLLR JP O'Meara was elected the new Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District during the Council's recent AGM in Nenagh Civic Offices.
In a wide-ranging speech, Cllr O'Meara touched on a number of the most serious issues at the moment in North Tipperary, including the housing crisis and excessive speeding.
The Toomevara man also talked about a number of the big projects which will be hugely beneficial for the District when they are implemented, such as the €10 million upgrading of the Historic Centre in Nenagh Town.
Cllr O'Meara began his speech by saying it was a “massive honour” to take up the role of Cathaoirleach for the next 12 months “especially in the centenary year of my party, the Fianna Fáil party.”
He said the vast majority of the work which the Councillors do is very private and behind the scenes. “Most of the work we do is when individuals and families approach us looking for help.”
The Councillor pointed out that the number one, most pressing issue for him is the housing problem. He said the District's social housing waiting list is too high, with over 500 on the list.
“The expansion of Nenagh Wastewater Treatment Plant was held up for a long time which in turn held up a number of housing projects. Now that the Plant's expansion has been unblocked it's meant that a number of private housing developments have started in Nenagh Town and seventy new social housing units in Tyone are about to be handed over.
“The construction of 58 new social housing units is starting in Newport.
“We are also very hopeful that the expansion plans for Cloughjordan Wastewater Treatment Plant will be able to go forward to the next stage before the end of 2026. This is because we have made some progress with Uisce Éireann.”
The Councillor said it's also very important that the building of one-off houses in Lower Ormond becomes easier. “With that in mind I am looking forward to the publishing of the Rural Planning Guidelines by the government in the near future.”
He pointed out that inflation has severely hit the roads budget. “We desperately need an increase in funding for our roads. Because of inflation our roads budget has been hit very hard, reducing our spending power by almost a third.”
He added that speeding in all the towns and villages in the District is a very serious issue. “Drivers need to be more patient. A lot of them seem to be in a rush all the time. As a result, many approach roads in our towns and villages can be very dangerous.
“E-Scooters are a worrying problem as well, especially during the winter months. They move so fast and so silently. People don't see them coming. I was glad to see that the Gardaí have been confiscating them.”
He pointed out that an important motto is “Be safe, be seen.”
He said there's good news for The Nenagh Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Energy. “We expect the planning for the first phase of this massive project to go through by the end of this year,” he remarked.
He added that the Council has made an application for €10 million for the upgrading of the Historic Centre in Nenagh, and a lot of work has been done on the funding application to create a digital hub in the old Rialto Cinema in Nenagh Town.
Cllr O'Meara said he feels passionately about the Shane MacGowan Tour and he urged people to take one of the regular bus tours with Coolbawn's Michael Molamphy. “I was on one of these tours and I can't recommend them highly enough. You can drive around the tour in your own car but the better option is to join the bus tour. The Shane MacGowan trail is becoming more and more popular. Musicians are often joining the bus tours and playing songs by the Pogues at various locations along the way.” There's more information at www.unravellingshane.com
Cllr O’Meara was proposed by outgoing Cathaoirleach Cllr Phyll Bugler and was seconded by Independent Councillor Pamela Quirke O’Meara.
Since the 2024 local elections the dominant bloc in the nine seat Nenagh MD has been the five Councillors of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour. In 2024 – 2025 Cllr Fiona Bonfield (Labour) was the Cathaoirleach and in 2025 to 2026 Cllr Phyll Bugler (Fine Gael) held the role.
In her outgoing speech, Cllr Bugler said it was an honour to lead the district over the past 12 months.
“Another success story was the funding of €500,000 that was secured by Tipperary County Council to renovate the 19th century Nenagh Gaol block. This investment intends to open this historic building to the public as part of the historic and cultural quarter,” Cllr Bugler said.
Rosemary Joyce, Senior Executive Officer, said that Cllr Bugler’s town of Ballina can be proud of her for the service she gave, and said that Cllr O’Meara was following two strong women who led the district before him.
Independent councillor Seamie Morris was elected as leas cathaoirleach for the coming year, after being proposed by Cllr Joe Hannigan.