New council chief executive hails 'positive vibe' in Offaly

THE new Chief Executive of Offaly County Council Eoghan Ryan hailed the “positive vibe” in the local authority and around the county when he addressed councillors for the first time during their monthly meeting on Monday.

Mr Ryan is replacing Anna Marie Delaney who retired last month after serving in the role for a decade.

Mr Ryan told councillors that he feels “very privileged” to be Chief Executive of Offaly County Council and he is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

The Kildare native said he has strong links with Offaly. “My mother is an Offaly woman from the Ballycumber area and I often footed turf in the county.”

Mr Ryan has a long and distinguished career in many areas of local government and is a professional planner and urban designer, who worked for a while in Washington State, the US.

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A graduate of UCD, he held the position of Head of Planning and Urban Design with the National Building Agency for over 15 years.

He then took up a job as senior adviser in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government where he worked alongside the Minister for Housing in the area of unfinished and abandoned housing developments across the country in the wake of the economic crash.

He also worked with the Departments of Social Protection and Employment Affairs before taking up a post with Kildare County Council.

During his six year stint in Kildare he was a member of the Council's senior management team as well as serving as a District Manager with responsibility for Naas Municipal District.

Mr Ryan told Monday's meeting that he's “really looking forward” to his new role and that he had been deeply impressed by the “positive vibes” when he met the Council staff during recent days. He has also been impressed by the positive mood that he experienced when talking with people from all walks of life throughout Offaly. He said the future is good and hopeful for the county. “The county is living in exciting times I believe and a lot of good stuff is coming our way.

“I was delighted this morning to be present when Minister Darragh O’Brien officially opened Statkraft Ireland’s Cushaling Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Edenderry. This project is a key investment in Ireland's renewable energy infrastructure. The event highlighted the ongoing development of sustainable energy, following broader government initiatives for energy infrastructure.”

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Cllr John Leahy, Cathaoirleach, asked councillors to give the new Chief Executive “a good Offaly round of applause.” Joking, the Cathaoirleach added: “I'm afraid to say Eoghan that it will be the last round of applause that you will receive from us for the next few years! Speaking seriously, though, I agree with you that Offaly is in a great place at the moment.”