Here are the new Cork county councillors replacing those who won Dáil seats
County County Cork Picture: Kay The Horgan, Of Donovan Joe Aileen Cork Dawson, Browne, Carroll, Sheehan, Patrick Council Ronan Of Mayor Eamonn
A former political assistant to now EU Commissioner Michael McGrath and two former councillors were among five people coopted onto Cork County Council on Friday to replace those who won Dáil seats in the recent general election.
Fianna Fáil’s Patrick Donovan previously worked for Mr McGrath and has replaced the former finance minister's brother, Seamus, on the council. Seamus won a Dáil seat in Cork South Central.
The married 29-year-old father-of-one is originally from Crosshaven but lives in Carrigaline.
The former pupil of Crosshaven Boys National School and Coláiste Muire in Crosshaven went on to study government and politics at UCC and it was there he joined Ógra Fianna Fáil and became active in the party. Mr Donovan previously worked in finance in Cork ETB, before joining then Mr McGrath’s office as a political assistant.
He’s a well-known volunteer in his community with the local credit union and a fundraiser for the local RNLI station.
Scroll for results in your area
Healthcare manager Aileen Browne from Charleville has replaced Fine Gael TD John Paul O’Shea, who was elected to the Dáil representing the Cork North West constituency.
Ms Browne was elected as the first female chairperson of Charleville GAA in 2020 and helped steer the club through the covid challenges.
She got involved in politics while in college and was elected vice-president of UCC Students’ Union in 1995 and was director of elections for Mr O’Shea during the summer's local election and then the general election.
Ronan Sheehan served as a Labour county councillor from 2009 to 2014 when he narrowly lost his seat and has now been coopted to replace Eoghan Kenny who is now in the Dáil representing the Cork North Central constituency.
Mr Kenny was himself coopted onto the county council only last February, replacing veteran James Kennedy, who had decided to retire from politics.
Mr Sheehan, a married father of four grown-up children, is well known in GAA circles. He played both hurling and football with Mallow and represented Cork at different levels in both codes.
The highlight of his sporting career was captaining Cork when they won the junior football All-Ireland title in 1993.
Eamonn Horgan, a civil engineer, has taken over from Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide, who will be representing the Cork East constituency in the Dáil.
Mr Horgan is originally from Doneraile, but lives in Midleton with his fiancée Carol Marie and their one-year-old daughter, Léana.
He is a project manager for a process engineering consultancy firm and was confirmed as Mr Quaide's successor on the local authority at an uncontested party selection convention.
Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson has been coopted as a replacement for Noel McCarthy, who also won a Dáil seat in the Cork East constituency.
Ms Dawson, who is from Mitchelstown, surprisingly failed to get reelected to the Fermoy Municipal District Council during the local elections.
She had served as a county councillor from 2019 up until then. “I’m thrilled to be back. I’m so glad to get this opportunity,” Ms Dawson said.
Each of them addressed the meeting as they were individually coopted, with some outlining what their priorities would be in the coming years.
Mayor of County Cork Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll invited the five to take their seats and both he and council chief executive Moira Murrell wished them well for the future.