Reflecting on a 'surreal' year in office

HONOUR Cathaoirleach role can be lonely but rewarding says O'Reilly

It's been an admittedly “surreal” year to be Chair of Cavan County Council.

Just as Mullagh-native Shane P O'Reilly got comfortable in the role as the county's first citizen following the local elections in May 2019, a general election was called in January 2020, followed in March by the country going into lockdown due to Covid-19.

The Fianna Fáil representative's return to the county chamber was his fourth time to successfully stand before the local electorate. His return to the chair, having served once before back in 2014, has set something of a national record: twice Cathaoirleach before the age of 40.

“It's a feat unrivalled,” remarks Cllr O'Reilly. “I'm very thankful to my colleagues for entrusting me with the honour. It's a big thing to represent your county as first citizen, it carries a lot of responsibility.”

The Council AGM on Monday, June 15 was Cllr O'Reilly's final day as Cathaoirleach, when he formally handed the chain of office over to his successor, Aontú's Sarah O'Reilly.

One of Cllr O'Reilly's last acts as Cathoairleach, was to turn the sod on a new 19 unit social housing development in his home village. The event was carefully curated, and at a safe social distance. Such requirements meant that dozens more scheduled appointments were cancelled in the time since Covid-19 first arrived at Irish shores back in late February.

An outright travel ban put paid to a visit by Cllr O'Reilly and Council CEO Tommy Ryan to New York for St Patrick's Day. The Mullagh man had lined up a meeting with those representing the undocumented Irish.

Asked to reflect on any particularly memorable moments from the past 12 months, Cllr O'Reilly quickly responds with meeting President Michael D. Higgins, wife Sabina, and Tánaiste Simon Coveney on their visit to Würzburg and Kürnach. The event coincided with Kiliani Fest and St. Kilian’s day, July 8, patron saint of the city and a native of Mullagh.

Also present were members of the Mullagh Community Development Association and representatives of Cavan’s German partner municipality of Kürnach.

“That was special, it really was. And to be there with another Cavan person, Collette Hermann, now a councillor herself, it was fantastic,” says Cllr O'Reilly who also remembers fondly the opening of the new Virginia Fire Station, something for which he had personally campaigned for over 15 years.

But he highlights as a personal achievement his work with Comhairle na nÓg, a strident attempt during his tenure to encourage and discuss politics with a younger generation. Cllr O'Reilly visited almost all of the local secondary schools, culminating in his addressing as keynote speaker the AGM of Cavan Comhairle na nÓg at the Virginia Show Centre back in October last year.

“It was never done before, and it was something I decided to do,” he said of visiting schools. “If you don't bring youth into politics, you won't have youth in politics. You need youth, you need diversity, you need new ideas,” says Cllr O'Reilly, noting his pride at the wide demographic spread within the present Council.

Cllr O'Reilly himself entered politics aged just 23. But his path had been set from about the age of 11 when local man Jude Daly had encouraged him to embark on such a path.

His aim in linking with young people directly on the subject of politics was to help dispel the many stereotypical myths.

“I wanted young people to know they can make a difference for your county. Everyone can. That's an important message for young people to hold on to. By their actions they can be hugely influential. The challenge is to of course focus that in the positive. We need our young people to be brave, we need them to be willing to step up to the mark, we need them to be ready to make change happen.”

But Cllr O'Reilly states the pressure local councillors are under is increasing. Particularly psychologically, which came to a head earlier this year when as Cathaoirleach he tackled online trolling which he felt it overstepped the mark and began targetting members of his own family

Cllr O'Reilly mulls over the almost certain response when elected members raise their voice about the pressure they're under.

“'Sure you're paid well for it!', that's a common one. We don't, that's the truth of it. We are often the first line when something is wrong in an area. Anyone who went into local politics for money is deluded!”

He adds: “All I ever did was go out to get elected, as did the 17 other members of the county council. As did the other 948 local authority members in this country. Everyone one of us is looking to make a difference. None of us went out to become punch bags, or the seat of all evil to people either.”

There is a perception amongst many that politics is “broken” at present; there's a need to bridge the chasm in trust between the public and those who make decisions at all levels of governance.

“This country needs stability. We're about to embark on serious measures that are needed to bring the country back from the brink, and to do that we need leadership. Now is not the time for political grandstanding, or one-upmanship, and I'm genuinely disappointed by the actions of the present leaderships. You can't play politics with people's lives,” lashes Cllr O'Reilly.

Therefore he praises the one-for-all effort shown by many nationwide, including by local authorities and other statutory services in supporting those in need during this difficult period. He expresses sympathy as well to all those whose livelihoods might never recovery as a result of the pandemic, and those who have tragically lost loved ones to the virus as well.

“We have all suffered, as a collective, as a country, as a community. We have suffered. One life lost is everyone's loss. We have all felt this. And we will probably continue to feel the fallout of all this for some time to come. The challenge now is to find a new normality, one where we can be comfortable in our day to day lives. I see that happening. Cavan is a tremendously resilient county. We have a wonderful community spirit within us which I believe will carry us through this.”

Asked if he had any advice to pass on to his successor, Cllr O'Reilly responds: “Leave politics outside the door. That sounds strange, but it's needed to give everybody the opportunity to speak.”

It's a role “above politics” Cllr O'Reilly notes, before commenting: “Nobody is more important than anybody else in the chamber, because everyone has been elected by their communities and are there to serve our county. It can be a very tough job at times, quite a lonely role, but nevertheless deeply rewarding.”