Long-serving Offaly councillor will not contest local elections in 2024

VETERAN Offaly Fianna Fáil councillor, Danny Owens, has announced he will not contest next year's local elections and intends to retire from politics.

First elected to Offaly County Council in 2004, Cllr Owens has served with distinction for two decades and now intends to embark on a new chapter in his life.

During his time as a public representative, Cllr Owens served a number of periods as Cathaoirleach and Leas-Cathaoirleach and also chaired strategic policy committees.

The Killoughey man said local politics has changed dramatically in the past 20 years with the burden of work on councillors having increased significantly. Social media had also transformed the entire political landscape, both national and local, he noted.

But Cllr Owens thoroughly enjoyed his two decades in politics he told the Tribune this week.

“I loved every minute of it, there really was never a dull moment,” he outlined.

Perhaps the highlight of his political career came in 2011 when, in his role as Cathaoirleach, he formally welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama to Offaly on his visit to his ancestral home in Moneygall in the far south of the county.

Cllr Owens fondly remembers his conversation on that occasion with President Obama's wife, Michelle, and his discovery that she was a keen gardener. “I asked her about it and she told me a few bits about what she was doing at the time. The conversation was probably in reality only a minute or two but at the time it seemed like suspended reality.”

The Killoughey native first came to public prominence on the hurling field and holds two All-Ireland senior hurling medal having played on the Offaly teams which defeated Galway in the finals in Croke Park in 1981 and 1985.

Cllr Owens said he did not take the decision to retire from politics lightly and revealed it was influenced by his diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease.

He is now deeply involved with the Offaly branch of the Parkinson's Disease Association, which was formed after a well attended information meeting, organised by Tullamore Business and Professional Women's Club, late last year.

“Parkinson's is a neurological disorder which manifests itself in different ways, such as slowness of movement or tremor,” said Cllr Owens, adding: “I’m sure a lot of people would recognise the symptoms which vary from person to person.”

Monthly meetings of the new Offaly body are being held as a support group and to lobby for the provision of services, such as a multidisciplinary neurological team comprising physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, consultant neurologist, specialist nurse and other services, outlined the Killoughey man.

“What we are looking for is a national roll out of community neurological rehabilitation teams which has not happened yet in our area.”

He revealed that about 800,000 people are living with a neurological condition, according to the Neurological Alliance of Ireland.

“These neuro rehabilitation teams would offer specialist multidisciplinary support for people in their region. At present people with neurological conditions are seen in primary care with no protected staffing for their specific conditions and very long waiting lists. Early intervention has been proven to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s Disease.”

Despite the health challenges he faces, Cllr Owens looks to the future with confidence and to continuing to serve his constituents in the Tullamore Electoral Area until the local elections on June 7 next year.

“After that I intend to do a few things that I have been putting off for a while. I have a keen interest in history and geneaology and also intend to travel to some parts of the world that I haven't got to up to now.”

Cllr Owens said he will also be taking every opportunity to lobby for neurological services in the Midlands.

His decision to stand in the local elections in 2004 was influenced by his work with the Killoughey Community Council, established in 2001.

He served as the first chairman of the body which was formed to highlight problems and issues of concern in the wider Killoughey area.

“We compiled a community development plan and made a submission to Offaly County Council on roads in the area,” he recalled.

Through the use of ordnance survey maps, the submission identified 26 black spots on the roads in the area, Cllr Owens pointed out.

His first foray into community affairs whetted his appetite for local politics, and having being proposed by his local Fianna Fáil cumann, he was selected at the party's convention.

He enjoyed interacting with voters on the canvass trail and garnered a respectable 701 first preferences and was elected on the 13th count.

In the 2009 local elections he increased his first preference vote by an impressive 330, garnering a total of 1,036 votes and being elected on the 11th count.

In 2014, Cllr Owens was re-elected to the council, this time by just four votes following a marathon count and recount.

Five years later in 2019, Fianna Fáil had a superb election in the Tullamore area, winning four out of the seven seats.

Reflecting now on his two decades in politics, the retiring public representative said the job of a local councillor is not an easy one and the “demands on us are increasing all the time.”

He said it was also becoming harder to get people involved in local politics - “not just the young but people of all ages.”

Cllr Owens continued: “The role of the local authority has evolved substantially over the last 20 years. When I commenced in the council 20 years ago, there was housing, roads, water, planning and corporate services. Now the role and functions of the local authority has expanded significantly with Arts Officer, Heritage Officer, Biodiversity Officer, Community Section, IT Department, Climate Change and many more. All these new areas of responsibilities are enhancing the offering that Offaly County Council can deliver.”

When the council adopted the budget last month, Cllr Owens observed: “We had a budget of over €85 million. This represents a substantial increase from when I started on Offaly County Council in 2004.”

“We have also seen the introduction of Joint Policing Committees, Local Community Development Committees (LCDC’s) and the Public Participation Network (PPN). All these bodies have a level of community involvement in them and assisting the council reach out to communities,” outlined the retirng councillor.

He added: “The other side to that is that we have seen the diminution of powers of local authority members. The setting up of Irish Water has impacted on the water services and the council no longer have responsibility for public water issues.”

Cllr Owens said the loss of Town Councils, and their replacement by Municipal Districts, was “massive”.

“For example, Tullamore Town Council was replaced by Tullamore Municipal District. A lot of functions have now become centralised and this is taking away from the role of the local authority. We see in the roads section that a large number of projects are delivered by Active Travel Schemes and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).”

The retiring councillor identified the election of Brian Cowen to the office of Taoiseach – the only Offaly man to hold that position – as one of the high points of the past two decades.

Though he has opted not to contest next year's local elections, Cllr Owens has vowed to continue to serve his constituents and the people of the entire county to the best of his ability, for the remainder of his term of office.

The Killoughey man said he will continue to be involved in local affairs and, in his work with the Offaly branch of the Parkinson's Disease Association, to lobby for the national roll out of community neurological rehabilitation teams which has not happened yet in Offaly and the wider Midlands.

He extended thanks to all those who have helped him over the past 20 years, in particular all who canvassed for him.

“I loved canvassing and loved being in the company of those who came with me. I thank them for the long hours they put in and the shoe leather they lost,” added Cllr Owens.

He extended thanks to everyone who supported him and voted for him throughout his political career.

“In elections every vote is important and don't I know it after 2014.”

The retiring politician also thanked his wife Eileen and children Emma, Rachel, John and Conor, for their steadfast support throughout his career.

He added: “Politics has been a huge part of my life which I have enjoyed immensely.”