All Change as New Chairpeople Come Into Gorey, New Ross and Wexford Town

It's AGM season for the municipal districts across the county with some new sheriffs in town.

Gorey has elected Councillor Mary Farrell to be their new leader while Councillor Vicky Barron is Mayor of Wexford for the first time and John Fleming returns to chair the New Ross district.

Our local democracy reporter Aidan Delaney caught up with the councillors to find out their priorities for the year ahead.

Councillor Farrell says smaller projects will get a chance to become a reality under her leadership.

She took the chains at the District AGM on Monday, replacing the outgoing chair Donal Kenny.

A lot of large development projects are underway in Gorey town with the St Waleran's Housing complex and the Market House Regeneration schemes on the way.

However, Chairwoman Farrell says the rural areas won't be forgotten about over the next year :

"The playground in Kilmuckridge, working with the people in the other neighbouring communities, the community garden in Oulart.

"Boolavogue, Blackwater, Monageer, these are all communities that surround where I live.

"I'd be hoping to work with them as well as working with the Gorey part of the district as well."

Councillor Farrell is also encouraging women to get involved in politics and make a difference to their local area.

The independent representative was voted onto the council in 2014 and remains the only female councillor in the area.

She says her election will show other women they can do it too:

"What I'm disappointed with over the last twelve years is that I'm still the only female here.

"I'm very involved with the Wexford County Council's Women's Coalition and we're out there encouraging to get involved.

"Not only in politics, because that's not for everyone, but even in community leadership, to work in their communities."

Another female councillor making her mark in Wexford Town is the new Mayor Vicky Barron.

She was elected to the honoured position unopposed this week and says a lifetime of community work has prepared her for the role.

"I've chaired things before, I'm an activist, I'm very busy on the ground and that stands to me when it comes to taking on the role of Mayor because it lends weight to my voice.

"I'm looking forward to using that and using my influence to make Wexford a better place for everybody."

It represents a quick rise for the first time councillor who was co-opted onto the council following George Lawlor's election to the Dail 18 months ago.

Her main goal is to bring optimism back to the town and she's looking forward to bringing fresh energy to her new role:

"Wexford is a beautiful place with amazing potential and we need to unlock it.

"The way you do that is by being positive about it.

"Every town in Ireland has negatives but we have many positives like the people and the places.

"Yes we have some vacant shops at the moment but we will populate those again, we'll generate interest in our main street and rural villages. We just need to be creative in what we're looking for."

Elsewhere, 

The new chairman of the New Ross Municipal District says he wants to keep up the good work of his predecessors.

John Fleming will take up the role for the third time after being voted to the position by his fellow councillors.

He steps up having served as Leas Cathaoirleach under John Dwyer last year.

Councillor Fleming says they made a good start on a lot of projects over the previous 12 months and he'll keep them on track:

"We're only here for a year but a development could take four or five years.

"I always try to have things where there can be shovels in the ground and can get started without any hold ups.

"I'll be checking on things all the time and making sure there's nothing left that we can be doing to drive on these developments."

One of those developments will be the expansion of the town's greenway which Councillor Fleming says will be a priority for him.

He will now repesent the town during the America 250 celebrations next month as well as the Norman commemorations in 2027.

But on the infrastructure side of things, he has some ideas as well:

"We want to get the greenway finished out to the ferry bridge, that'll be absolutely fantastic and it'll be a jewel in the crown when it's done.

"I also want to see something done with the Michael Murphy building, we're going to have it for the commemorations.

"We're still looking for more funding for that but we're hoping to get it started early next year. That'd be a huge thing for me and it's something I'll be really pushing for."

That report was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.