Mayors elected in earliest city council ballot of year

Local authorities in Galway and Kilkenny have become the first city councils to elect new mayors for the coming year.

In elections held simultaneously in both councils last night, Fine Gael's Brian Walsh was elected mayor of Galway city while Labour councillor Marie Fitzpatrick was chosen for Kilkenny. Most of the other county and city councils will hold their mayoral elections next Monday.

Cllr Walsh (32) is Galway's youngest mayor. He takes that crown from former minister of state and mayor Bobby Molloy, who was three months older.

He was elected last night through a Fine Gael, Labour and Green Party pact.

A Fine Gael, Labour and Green Party alliance secured Marie Fitzpatrick (53) her victory in Kilkenny. Labour is one of the smaller parties on the council with just three seats to the four each held by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

The Green Party has a single councillor in the city. Ms Fitzpatrick was elected to the council in 1999 and was deputy mayor of Kilkenny from June 2003 to June 2004. She takes over from Fine Gael's Martin Brett as mayor.

Monaghan town council also held its election last night, choosing Sinn Féin councillor Pat Treanor as mayor. Cllr Treanor, a Clones town councillor for the past 11 years and a member of Monaghan County Council for two successive terms, was unanimously elected county mayor.

He succeeds Owen Bannigan of Fine Gael who did not seek re-election in accordance with a pact between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin.