New national role for Limerick's metropolitan district leader

LIMERICK'S metropolitan district leader, Cllr Kieran O'Hanlon has been elected president of the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG).

It means the veteran council member, who is 72, has been elected to three positions in the last month-and-a-half.

Having been comfortably returned to his seat in City North at the June local elections, he followed this up with being returned as the leader of Limerick's metropolitan district.

And he has crowned it by being named president of the AILG, which exists to support the almost 1,000 councillors across the Republic of Ireland.

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Elected at the association's annual general meeting in Mullingar, Cllr O'Hanlon is the first elected member from Limerick to hold the prestigious position.

"It is a tremendous honour to accept the office of president of the AILG. I am committed to bringing my 33 years of experience to this position to continue to work on behalf of our members," he said.

In his first speech, the Fianna Fail man emphasised the importance of local government and the vital role that councillors play in their communities.

"Wee have a proud legacy and deep-rooted involvement in our communities. I believe there is now a great opportunity for this association over the coming 12 months to capitalise on the positive conversation happening around local government and to
strengthen our role as an influential participant in local government policy formulation," he said.

Cllr. O’Hanlon further highlighted his vision for his term in office, vowing to continue to improve and develop AILG’s training delivery and support for councillors across the country.