A commemorative plaque to honour the first elected members of Kerry County Council who were elected to the local authority in 1899 has been unveiled at County Buildings by Mayor of Kerry Cllr Breandán Fitzgerald.
This year marks 125 years of local government in Ireland and the establishment of county councils under the Local Government Act of 1898. The first election to Kerry County Council took place on 6th April 1899 and the first meeting of the new local authority took place in the Grand Jury Room at Tralee Courthouse on 22nd April that year.
The first members of Kerry County Council included those directly elected from 22 electoral divisions as well as the chairpersons of the six Rural District Councils, three members of the Grand Jury and two co-options.
Pictures: Pauline Dennigan
The first chairperson of Kerry County Council was St John Donovan from Seafield, The Spa, Tralee, who was High Sheriff of Kerry and a member of Tralee Urban District Council.
There were some notable figures among those elected or co-opted to the new council including Lord Ventry from Dingle, Lord Castlerosse from Killarney and Arthur Blennerhassett of Ballyseedy Castle, as well as MJ Flavin from Tralee, who was MP for Kerry between 1900 and 1918.
Another of the members, James Baily, who represented Tralee and who died shortly after the election, is a relative of a member of the current council, Angie Baily.
“This year marks 125 years of local government in Ireland and the establishment of county councils under the Local Government Act of 1898,” said Mayor Fitzgerald.
“This was a transformative moment in Irish local government and in Irish democracy and ensured that, for the first time, local elected assemblies were established to administer services in counties and on a county basis,” he added.
“Though much has changed in local government in 125 years, many things have endured and survived that time. Kerry County Council continues to be the local democratically elected forum in which the concerns of the citizens of the county can be expressed, debatedand resolved,” Cllr Fitzgerald stated.
“Public service remains at the heart of what we, do today, as elected members, as it was for those who took their seats on the first Council back in April 1899. We remain dedicated to public service, to bettering our county for all our citizens and to promoting and sustaining local democracy for the benefit of everyone in the county,” he said
The commemorative plaque is located just inside the main entrance of County Buildings in Tralee.
Members of Kerry County Council
Elected on 6th April 1899
St JH Donovan (Chairman), Ardfert
MJ Nolan (Vice-Chairman), Tarbert
James Baily, Tralee
Arthur Blennerhassett, Grand Jury
James D Crosbie, Ballyheigue
John Henry Dodd, Killorglin
David Doran, Kenmare RDC
Edward Fitzgerald, Cahersiveen RDC
Michael J Flavin, Sneem
Thomas Harty, Lisselton
Thomas Kearney, Scartaglin
Richard Latchford, co-opted
Robert McClure, Glenbeigh
Michael McMahon, Milltown
William McMahon, Listowel
Captain James Magill, Grand Jury
Thomas McDonogh Mahony, Dingle
John McSweeney, Headford
David M. Moriarty, co-opted
Thomas O’Connell, Listowel RDC
MS O’Connell, Lixnaw
J. O’Connor, Castleisland
Michael J. O’Donnell, Castlegregory
Patrick O’Donnell, Kilgobbin
Thomas O’Donoghue, Dingle
Alexander O’Driscoll, Valentia
George O’Gorman, Aghadoe
Denis J O’Sullivan, Kenmare RDC
Florence O’Sullivan, Killarney RDC
Jeremiah Roche, Tralee RDC
George F Trench, Grand Jury
Lord Ventry, Dingle RDC
Lord Castlerosse, Killarney
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