Padraig MacLochlainn Mayor for second time

Sinn Fein Councillor Padraig MacLochlainn is Buncrana’s new Mayor. The Town Councillor and Donegal County Councillor took over the role from outgoing Mayor Councillor Lee Tedstone at the annual general meeting of Buncrana Town Council on Thursday last. Independent Councillor Michael Grant is the new Deputy Mayor, taking over from Councillor Peter McLaughlin. As he handed over the chain of office, Cllr Tedstone said he was “tinged with sadness.” As Mayor MacLochlainn took his seat, he paid tribute to the power sharing agreement in place in Buncrana Town Council, which is such a success it was recently adopted by Bundoran Town Council. He said: “I’m very proud of the power-sharing we have here in Buncrana, I think it serves the people well and we leave politics aside in the interest of our town. I look forward to the year.” Mayor MacLochlainn paid tribute to Cllr Tedstone, telling him the year he had “just put in has been invaluable” and declaring him a “hard act to follow.” He said: “Cllr Tedstone, you talked to me before you were a councillor and you felt very strongly that you should do something for the town. You stepped up and became Mayor after topping the poll. You’ve put in a phenonmenal year and shown Buncrana is your top priority.” His sentiments were echoed by the other councillors, who gave Mayor Tedstone a round of applause as he stepped down. Mayor Mac Lochlainn pledged to continue with and push forward a number of projects. He added while a second term as Mayor “wasn’t anticipated” for him this year, Councillor Daren Lalor’s resignation ensured this was the case. He said: “It’s a great honour to be here. I’m very proud pf our town and our community.” Mayor Mac Lochlainn went on to say he was “very concerned” at the strife many people in the community found themselves in due to the current economic situation and he was also “deeply proud” at the civic leadership groups and committees such as Tidy Towns and the Buncrana Festival Committee have shown. Deputy Mayor Michael Grant was scheduled to take the position next year, but as Sinn Fein’s newest Town Councillor Mary Kelly was only co-opted at Thursday’s meeting, Mayor Mac Lochlainn said he believed it would be “unfair” to both Cllr Kelly and the other councillors if she was to take up the position so quickly. Therefore, Cllr Grant was approached and pledged to do his “very best” for the people of Buncrana. The other seven councillors pledged their support to the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor and offered them their congratulations. Meanwhile, Buncrana’s newest town councillor was also co-opted on to the Council at the meeting. Sinn Fein Councillor Mary Kelly was given a warm welcome by her fellow councillors and replaced former Councillor Daren Lalor, who stepped down from his seat earlier this year. Thanking the councillors for their support, Cllr Kelly revealed she was “very surprised” when she got the phone call from Mayor Padraig Mac Lochlainn to ask if she would be interested in taking up the position but “after a fair bit of thought” decided to go forward. She added she had previously been approached a few years ago but as her children were young, she felt the time wasn’t quite right. She said: “I can see it’s going to be a huge challenge and there’s a lot of work to do but I’m looking forward to it. I can see the Council makes a good team and I’m looking forward to working for that team and for the betterment of Buncrana.” Cllr Kelly added that throughout Inishowen, people ask her if she knew the late Sinn Fein Councillor Eddie Fullerton. She said: “There was no-one like Eddie. I always admired him for the work he did and while I know I’ll never be able to fill his shoes I hope I can help somebody and do positive justice to the position of Councillor.