COORACLARE county councillor Bill Chambers (Fianna Fáil) has been elected cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, succeeding Councillor James Breen (Independent) in the role.
Councillor Chambers is the first person from Cooraclare to assume the chairmanship of the 28-member council which unanimously backed his appointment at its AGM in Áras Contae an Chláir on Monday.
Councillor Paul Murphy (Fine Gael) from Clarecastle was elected leas cathaoirleach, replacing his party colleague Councillor Mary Howard in the position.
“The role of cathaoirleach is one that goes back many decades and it is an honour for me to follow in the footsteps of so many great servants of this county. I will work hard during the next 12 months to promote Clare through leadership and partnership in my new role as Clare’s first citizen,” Councillor Chambers said in his maiden speech.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.