-
-
Author: Dara Bradley
~ 2 minutes read
The new Chief Executive of Galway County Council is set to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Liam Conneally, who is Director of Services for Economic Development at Clare County Council, is understood to be the preferred candidate following an interview process and has been offered the post.
His appointment will have to be ratified by councillors at an upcoming meeting of Galway County Council.
He will replace Jim Cullen, who was Acting CE for a number of years.
The last permanent CE of the local authority was also a Clare native, Martina Moloney who retired in 2014.
Since then, Kevin Kelly initially and then Jim Cullen have been acting in the roles.
According to his LinkedIn page, Liam Conneally was a senior planner at Limerick City and County Councils for almost three years before taking up the Director of Services role in Clare in 2016.
He was educated at University of Limerick and Queen’s University Belfast.
A native of Ennistymon, he is steeped in the GAA.
“He’s done a very good job in Clare; he’s very dynamic and forward-looking, he will be a good choice for Galway County Council,” said a source familiar with Mr Conneally, and the interview process.
Government completed a review in 2021 about whether it was going to appoint someone permanently into the CE role, which was filled on a temporary/acting basis for almost nine years.
It’s understood that officials in Dublin had delayed filling the role as they wanted to push for an amalgamation of both Councils.
The amalgamation, however, was rejected by local politicians, and has since been put on the back burner.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, is due to retire this year. It’s understood his deputy CE, Patricia Philbin will take the role in an acting capacity until an interview process is completed.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune:
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
More like this:
Plans for habitat restoration works along Nanny River in Tuam
Plans are underway for habitat restoration works along the Nanny River in Tuam. Inland Fisheries ...
Call for urgent safety improvements to “treacherous” city footpaths
There’s a call for urgent safety improvements to “treacherous” footpaths across...
Galway TD Ciaran Cannon cites ‘toxicity’ as reason he is leaving politics after 20 years
Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon has announced he will not contest the next General Elections. The Fi...
65 new homes planned for Loughrea and Tuam
Galway County Council has announced plans to deliver more than 65 new homes on local authority-ow...
Loughrea councillor Declan Kelly joins new Independent Ireland party
Loughrea councillor Declan Kelly has joined the new Independent Ireland party ahead of June’...
Nina Carberry to seek selection to run as a Fine Gael Candidate in the forthcoming European Elections
It has been revealed that Nina Carberry, a former champion jockey and a seven-time winner at the ...
Galway City Council called on to prioritise pitch drainage on the Eastside of the City
A Fianna Fail Councillor has called on Galway City Council Recreation and Amenity to prioritise p...
Man pleads guilty to sexual assault at Galway Garda HQ
A 27-year-old man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a female at the Garda Regional HQ in ...
University of Galway’s Nelson Mandela Anti-Racism Week opens tomorrow
A number of events are taking place this week for the University of Galway’s Nelson Mandela...