Hill pays tribute to colleagues as he departs county council

“He was here with me in 1974 when I first came in, and he is here on my last day,” beamed veteran councillor Paddy Hill as he welcomed former councillor, senator, and deputy Donie Cassidy to his final meeting of Westmeath County Council.

Mr Cassidy was among family and well-wishers in the public gallery as Cllr Hill, along with party colleague John Shaw and Ireland’s longest serving councillor, Frank McDermott, bade farewell to politics.

Cllr Hill said Frank McDermott was a pleasure to work with and made a huge contribution to north Westmeath. “Frank was always prepared to do his best for everyone and only for that he wouldn’t be on Westmeath County Council for the long number of years he has,” he remarked.

He said he had worked alongside Cllr Shaw since 2009. “He is an honest, straight gentleman who would not cross the line if you had an agreement with him,” Cllr Hill commented.

He said John Shaw was “a great public representative as he had been a great hurler in his day, representing this county and bringing many awards to it”.

Paddy said he was disappointed that John had stepped down from politics “because he is the type we want in politics”.

“John got straight to the point; he didn’t go around in rings, and he was an effective councillor,” he said.

“It wouldn’t be unknown for some people to make a comeback. In 18 or 20 years, you will still be a young man and you might make a comeback,” Cllr Hill suggested.

He thanked everyone for their kind words.

He wished Jimmy Dalton, who is retiring as head of finance (see facing page), a happy retirement.

“Jimmy has been here as long or longer than I have,” he remarked. He said Jimmy “must be a genius because he is the only man who could balance the books, no cut to services, and we never gave him an increase in rates or property tax or anything”. He wished Mr Dalton and his family all the best in the years ahead.

Cllr Hill congratulated Barry Kehoe on his appointment as chief executive.

“Barry, my only regret is that I won’t be here to work with you over the next five years, because it was a pleasure to work with you,” he said.

“You will be a huge asset to the county in your new role, as you have been in the past,” he added.

Cllr Hill wished his colleagues well in the election and was confident that “the electorate will return you because you have all worked hard for your neck of the woods”.

He thanked the staff, past and present, for their courtesy over the years, including the staff in the Castlepollard office, “Mary, Olivia, Eddie and the rest of them who do tremendous work for the county”.

He thanked his loyal supporters and his family, particularly his wife Maureen “who certainly was a great support to me”.