A former Senior Planner at Clare County Council has been appointed its new Chief Executive.
Members of Clare County Council have approved the appointment of Gordon Daly as the local authority’s next Chief Executive.
The Clare native, who has almost three decades of experience working in local government, including county Clare, is expected to take up the position in late May 2025.
The Public Appointments Service (PAS) recommended Mr Daly for the post in March, with the recommendation then going before Clare County Council’s Corporate Policy Group (CPG) for consideration before his appointment received final approval from all members of the council on Monday afternoon.
Mr Daly said he was looking forward to taking up the role of Chief Executive of Clare County Council.
“I am delighted and honoured to join Clare County Council as Chief Executive and I wish to thank the Cathaoirleach and the elected members for approving my appointment.
“I also wish to acknowledge the very significant contribution to Clare County Council and County Clare by my predecessor, Pat Dowling.
“I look forward to working in partnership with staff, management, public representatives and all our various partners and stakeholders in further delivering on the potential and ambition of County Clare.”
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) in congratulating the newly appointed CE, said,
“I look forward to welcoming Gordon back to Clare County Council in his new role as chief executive, an important role that carries a lot of responsibility.
“I am confident that Gordon will do his best for the further economic and social development of the county.
“The members of Clare County Council look forward to working with him in the years ahead to deliver on the key objectives of the council and wish him every success in this important role.”
Mr Daly has 28 years of experience working in local government across five different local authorities, including Clare.
He previously worked as the Senior Planner for Clare County Council from 2009 to 2015 where he led the development of various strategies including the Strategic Integrated Framework Plan (SIFP) for the Shannon Estuary and the first Clare Renewable Energy Strategy.
For the past decade, he has worked with Limerick City & County Council as a Director of Service, and more recently, as its Deputy Director General where he was responsible for key areas such as corporate services, human resources and organisational development.
He has led teams in the development of a range of strategic tourism and recreational initiatives in Limerick including the award winning 40km Limerick Greenway and the Limerick Regional Athletics Hub, an international standard public facility in Newcastle West.
In addition, he has overseen the successful transfer of King John’s Castle, Limerick’s largest visitor attraction, to the local authority owned Discover Limerick DAC from the Shannon Airport Group in 2022.
He has also played a key role in preparations to-date for the hosting of the centenary Ryder Cup in 2027 at Adare Manor, Limerick.
Mr Daly also brings to the role extensive experience in economic development and town and rural regeneration, including spear heading the establishment of a Dereliction and Vacancy Unit in Limerick.
He is a past president of the Irish Planning Institute and a graduate of the Dublin Institute of Technology, the University of Gloucestershire and the Queen’s University of Belfast.
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.