'I'm not going to be silenced': Tensions raised as Tullamore MD Councillor declines role
The dispute sparked a discussion amongst councillors over the nomination process within the Municipal Districts in Offaly
Tensions were raised in the Tullamore Municipal District recently as Councillor Neil Feighery declined a nomination for the role of Leas-Cathaoirleach hitting out at Fianna Fáil and the ‘stranglehold’ they have within politics in Offaly.
The incident happened at Tullamore MD’s Annual General Meeting in the Town Hall on Thursday, June 11 where the Fine Gael representative was nominated to succeed Councillor Shane Murray as the Leas-Cathaoirleach of the district following his appointment as Cathaoirleach.
After being proposed and seconded for the position, Cllr Feighery addressed his fellow elected members in the chamber stating: “Sometimes in life you have to decide between right and wrong and trust your gut instinct. I cannot in all conscience accept your nomination to the role of Leas Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District, on a point of principle.”
He elaborated: “It is hard to believe that we are now into the third year of this mandate. I received a direct mandate from the people in the 2024 local election. In that election, I met thousands of people and I got a real sense of disillusionment with local politics”
Cllr Feighery then took aim at Fianna Fáil and their role within the political landscape across the Faithful County. “One party has ruled this district since it was formed in 2014 and has held the office of Cathaoirleach in Offaly County Council for most of the last 60 years, and has always been part of the controlling group on Offaly County Council."
Calls were then made from several councillors for the meeting to be adjourned for five minutes in order to regain order and address the situation. However, Councillor Feighery replied: “Excuse me, I will speak.”
He continued: “The Fianna Fáil organisation has a systematic stranglehold on the Municipal District but I refuse to allow it to put a noose around my neck for 30 pieces of silver, in the form of some might-be opportunity in the coming year to wear the newly minted chain of office.”
"I sought re-election to Offaly County Council in 2024 to continue to build on the work of my first term and I received a very emphatic but also humbling endorsement from the electorate. On the first count, I received 1,962 first preferences, exceeding the quota by 533 votes. The nearest candidate to me received 1,429 first preferences. What is happening here in the chamber is showing utter contempt for the democratic will of the people of the Tullamore Municipal District."
Councillor Frank Moran responded to Cllr Feighery’s remarks stating: “Four Fianna Fáil Councillors were returned on three occasions to this Municipal District, your long in the tooth now Councillor Feighery to know how politics works, you talk about the numbers and say you got 1962 votes, how many did the four of us get between us, nearly to the tune of 5.000 votes so we’re here to represent those people that voted for us as well.”
The Fianna Fáil representative continued: “It’s up to yourself whether or not you want to take a position which you have been proposed and seconded but I find it very disingenuous for you to say that we are trying to monopolise anything, we got the votes and we have to represent those people that elected us just as you have to represent the people that elected you.”
Following the tense exchange, the newly-appointed Cathaoirleach Shane Murray called for calm but Cllr Feighery hit back at the Fianna Fáil members within the chamber. He reiterated: “I’m not going to be silenced, I’m going to address this meeting through the chair, the conduct here over the last year has been utterly disgraceful and your not going to lecture me about procedure.”
Councillor Declan Harvey weighed in on the matter addressing Councillor Feighery directly. He said: “I, as part of the Fianna Fáil group, offered you the position of Leas-Cathaoirleach and you didn’t even have the courtesy today to tell me that you weren’t going to accept it and instead you came in here to disrupt a meeting. I find that very disingenuous and I thought you were made of better stuff than that.”
Cllr Harvey then nominated Councillor Oliver Bryant for the role of Leas-Cathaoirleach which was seconded by Cllr Moran. “I’d be delighted to accept the role of Leas Cathaoirleach, I’m disappointed that Neil didn’t take the position, it was offered to him and he did accept it during the week but obviously things have changed with him so I’d be delighted to work with the chair and everybody in this room, and thanks very much for the nomination,” said Cllr Bryant.
This nomination marked the end of the dispute at the AGM on Thursday evening but Cllr Feighery released a statement to the press and across his social media channels on Saturday explaining his rationale behind turning down the position.
His release began: “As a local politician, I have always worked in the best interest of the district and in the interest of collegiality; initially I agreed take up the position. However, on Monday evening I met with my party colleagues after the Birr Municipal District Annual General Meeting.”
“I was informed by Cllrs Hughie Egan and Eleanor Clendennen that the members of the controlling group on Offaly County Council that also sit on Birr Municipal District, Cllrs Peter Ormond, Audrey Hennessy Kennedy and John Leahy indicated that they would not support the nomination of Cllr Clendennen to the role of Cathaoirleach.”
It went on to say: “The reason offered was there has been a practice in the Birr Municipal District that the election of the Cathaoirleach each year is decided by which candidates received the highest first preferences in the local elections. Deputy John Clendennen received the third highest share of the first preferences in the 2024 local elections so had he not been elected to Dáil Éireann, he would have been elected as Cathaoirleach on Monday.”
“Cllrs Ormond, Hennessy Kennedy and Leahy said they could not support Cllr Eleanor Clendennen for the nomination as Cathaoirleach because she had been co-opted to Offaly County Council and Birr Municipal District following John's election to the Dáil. This is a stance that in principal I support. I believe that priority should be given to those that have received a direct popular mandate from the people.”
Cllr Feighery finished by saying: “At Thursday's AGM in Tullamore when I called out the inconsistency in Fianna Fáil and asked them directly why there was one party standpoint in Birr and a different one in Tullamore that would see a co-optee elected to the position of Cathaoirleach, they all expressed no knowledge of what had happened the previous Monday in Birr. This is neither credible nor believable.”
In response, Councillor Peter Ormond released a statement of his own to illustrate how the nomination process is carried out in Birr as he stated that the Birr Municipal District had operated the same procedure since the formation of the Municipal Districts in 2014.
“The procedure we adopted was similar to the one Birr Municipal District adopted in 2014, 2019 and agreed again in June 2024. The agreement was that the first five councillors elected would get a chair of the Birr Municipal District and the 6th person elected would get the vice chair in year five.”
The Fianna Fáil politician added: “At our recent Birr Municipal District AGM, nominations were sought in line with the agreement adopted in June 2024 and Cllr. John Leahy was proposed and seconded for the position of cathaoirleach.” Cllr. Ormond also confirmed that there were no other nominations and his candidacy was agreed by all members. He concluded that this agreement worked very well since 2014 and he hoped it would continue as it took politics out of electing the Chair.”
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As all the districts came together for the June County Council meeting on Monday afternoon, June 15, the events of the previous week were once again addressed and discussed amongst the elected members. Cllr Audrey Hennessy Kennedy told those in attendance that she was “disappointed and surprised in equal measure to read Cllr Feighery's statement and I would like to make a few observations regarding Cllr Feighery's comments about the Birr Municipal District AGM.”
“Firstly, Cllr Feighery, you were not present at the meeting in question, which makes some of the commentary even more concerning. I would hope that Cllr Clendennen and Cllr Egan will clarify the facts and ensure that the true position is accurately reflected. It is deeply concerning that a Councillor from another Municipal District would choose to comment publicly and on social media about proceedings at a meeting which they did not attend.”
She continued: “This raises serious questions and reflects poorly on the standards that elected representatives should uphold. The public deserves accurate information, and Councillors have a responsibility to ensure that facts, not speculation or misinformation, are being shared.”
“You stated in your FB post that I could not support Cllr Eleanor Clendennen for the nomination as Cathaoirleach because she had been co-opted to Offaly County Council and Birr Municipal District. This was untrue and totally inaccurate. Cllr Feighery, please don't speak about me without speaking with me first.”
Cllr Feighery said that sometimes “in the heat of battle. the choice of words isn't always the best and in hindsight I could have used better words. I do think that my essential point stands and that we are getting over-focussed on semantics.”
“Since my post my phone has been hopping with many people agreeing with my essential point. Since I made my point, the Birr MD's way of electing their Cathaoirleach has been explained to me. It would appear that in some matters each MD has their own way of tackling things.”
“In the local elections I got a great public endorsement and local people have been asking me when will I get the Chair of the MD or the County Council.” Cllr Feighery said he wished to apologise to Cllrs Ormond, Hennessy Kennedy and Leahy for his Facebook post. He said he was happy to withdraw the part of the post which they disagreed with.
Cllr Ormond pointed out that since 2014, Birr MD elects its Cathaoirleach according to the five Councillors who performed best in the local elections, which unfortunately means one Councillor always misses out on the Chair. “Because Cllr Eleanor Clendennen was co-opted onto the Council after her brother became a TD we felt that it was only fair she should be the Councillor to miss out on being the Cathaoirleach.”
Cllr Eleanor Clendennen said she understood the rationale of this, which will mean that Cllr Seán Maher will be the fifth and final Cathaoirleach of the current Birr MD. “However, shortly after Birr MD's AGM I learned that Cllr Shane Murray, who was also a co-optee, was made Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District. This struck me as being unfair. The Fine Gael party is simply seeking fairness in this matter.”
Cllr Frank Moran said there is a strong Fianna Fáil dynamic in Tullamore MD because four of the seven Councillors are members of the party.
Cllr John Leahy, outgoing Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, said Cllr Hennessy Kennedy had just been given an apology and retraction by Cllr Feighery and therefore that was the end of the matter. Cllr Hennessy Kennedy said she was happy with this.