Director of Services for Tullamore MD to retire

A new Director of Services has been appointed to Tullamore Municipal District. Noel Gorman replaces Tom Shanahan, who has been at the helm for the past 7 years.

Mr Shanahan, who retires at the end of December, has overseen the development and progression of numerous projects throughout the region.

At the November meeting of Tullamore Municipal District Cathaoirleach, Councillor Frank Moran said members were looking forward to working with Mr Gorman in the period to come.

''I would like to thank Tom Shannahan for all the work he has done in the Municipal District. On behalf of the members, you were an excellent person to get business done and we really do appreciate all the work that has been done this far in the Municipal District of Tullamore.Sincerely thanks a million for all you have given us over the years,'' said Cllr Moran.

Cllr Declan Harvey said he was looking forward to working with Mr Gorman. ''If I get on as well with you as I did with Tom, we won't be too bad. Tom, you were an excellent man to deal with, very fair. You are a gentleman and very easy to get on with and I wish you the best going forward.''

Councillor Neil Feighery said Mr Gorman was taking on a very challenging role.

''There is a lot happening in Tullamore,'' he said. ''For today I acknowledge the contribution of Tom Shanahan. I've worked with Tom on many a project. I have found him to be a most honourable and very decent public servant. He is a man of his word. Thank you for your service,'' he added.

Councillor Sean O'Brien also welcomed Mr Gorman. ''It's a busy job, there is a lot going on, there are always some exciting projects in Tullamore. We certainly look forward to your expertise. Tom was fantastic as a manager. He has always been available. When you pick up the phone you get a direct answer. He made a huge contribution to the development of Tullamore over the last several years, with massive projects and a lot more in the pipeline.''

Mr Shanahan thanked members for their kind sentiments. ''It was a pleasure working in Tullamore,'' he said. ''I always appreciated that there was a great willingness from us all to work together.If we spent a bit of longer to get into position then that is what we did. I acknowledge the willingness of youserves, all working together for the good of Tullamore.''

Looking ahead, Mr Shanahan said he expected the High Street/Tanyard link and urban greenway to be finished in the next few months. ''It's fantastic to see that,'' he said.

''I have very good memories of people here. It's fantastic that there is a willingness to achieve consensus, we had a lot of discussions here but we hammered out all the details head on.''  He also said. ''it was great to see the developments in Clara as well,'' adding that while Tullamore may have ''grabbed all the headlines'' there was major work going on in towns like Clara and in other villages throughout the county.