Kildare County Council

Kildare County Council (Irish: Comhairle Contae Chill Dara) is the local authority of County Kildare, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 40 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (chairperson). The county administration is headed by a chief executive, Sonya Kavanagh. The county town is Naas.

Kildare County Council Comhairle Contae Chill Dara
Type
Type	County council of County Kildare
History
Founded	1 April 1899
Leadership
Cathaoirleach	Carmel Kelly, FF
Structure
Seats	40
Political groups	Fianna Fáil (12)   Fine Gael (11)   Social Democrats (6)   Labour (5)   Sinn Féin (1)   Independent Ireland (1)   Independent (4)
Elections
Last election	7 June 2024
Motto
Meanma agus Misneach (Irish) "Spirit and Courage"
Meeting place
Áras Chill Dara, Naas
Website
Official website

The area governed by the council

Crest of Kildare County Council photographed alongside the Royal Canal in Maynooth. The County Motto, Meanma agus Misneach (Spirit and Courage), is seen on the crest.

History

Kildare County Council was established on 1 April 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 for the administrative county of County Kildare, succeeding the former judicial county of Kildare.^[1][2][3] It was originally based at Naas Courthouse but, after a major fire in the courthouse, moved to the former St Mary's Fever Hospital in the late 1950s.^[4] By late 1990s, the old hospital buildings were in poor condition, and the county council identified the former Devoy Barracks site as its preferred location for new facilities.^[5] It moved to Áras Chill Dara on the site of the old barracks site in 2006.^[5]

Regional Assembly

Kildare County Council has three representatives on the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly who are part of the Eastern Strategic Planning Area Committee.^[6][7]

Elections

The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) for the 1920 Irish local elections.^[8] This electoral system has been retained, with the 40 members of Kildare County Council elected for a five-year term of office from multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).

Year		FF		FG		Lab		SD		GP		SF		II		PDs		WP		Ind	Total
2024	12		11		5		7		0		1		1		—		0		3		40
2019	12		11		5		4		3		1		—		—		0		4		40
2014	12		9		5		—		0		5		—		—		0		9		40
2009	6		9		6		—		0		0		—		—		0		4		25
2004	10		7		4		—		1		0		—		0		0		3		25
1999	9		5		5		—		0		0		—		2		0		4		25
1991	8		7		3		—		1		1		—		2		1		2		25
1985	10		7		5		—		0		1		—		—		1		1		25

Local Electoral Areas and Municipal Districts

County Kildare is divided into municipal districts and LEAs, defined by electoral divisions.^[9]

Municipal District	LEA	Definition	Seats
Athy		Athy East Urban, Athy Rural, Athy West Urban, Ballaghmoon, Ballitore, Ballybrackan, Ballyshannon, Belan, Bert, Burtown, Carrigeen, Castledermot, Churchtown, Dunmanoge, Fontstown, Graney, Grangemellon, Harristown, Inchaquire, Johnstown, Kilberry, Kilkea, Kilrush, Moone, Narraghmore, Nurney, Skerries and Usk.	5
Celbridge–Leixlip	Celbridge	Donaghcumper; and those parts of the electoral division of Celbridge not contained in the local electoral area of Leixlip.	4
	Leixlip	Leixlip; and those parts of the electoral division of Celbridge to the north of a line drawn along the M4 motorway.	3
Clane–Maynooth	Clane	Ballynadrumny, Cadamstown, Carbury, Carrick, Clane, Donore, Downings, Drehid, Dunfierth, Kilmeage North, Kilmeage South, Kilpatrick, Kilrainy, Lullymore, Robertstown, Timahoe North, Timahoe South and Windmill Cross.	5
	Maynooth	Balraheen, Cloncurry (in the former Rural District of Celbridge No. 1), Donadea, Kilcock, Maynooth, and Straffan.	5
Kildare–Newbridge	Kildare	Ballysax East, Ballysax West, Cloncurry (in the former Rural District of Edenderry No. 2), Dunmurry, Feighcullen, Kildangan, Kildare, Killinthomas, Lackagh, Monasterevin, Pollardstown, Quinsborough, Rathangan, Rathernan and Thomastown.	5
	Newbridge	Carnalway, Carragh, Droichead Nua Rural, Droichead Nua Urban, Gilltown, Kilcullen, Ladytown, Morristownbiller and Oldconnell.	6
Naas		Ballymore Eustace, Bodenstown, Kill, Killashee, Kilteel, Naas Rural, Naas Urban, Newtown, Oughterard and Rathmore.	7

Councillors

The following were elected at the 2024 Kildare County Council election.

Party		Seats
	Fianna Fáil	12
	Fine Gael	11
	Social Democrats	7
	Labour	5
	Independent Ireland	1
	Sinn Féin	1
	Independent	3

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.^[10]

Council members from 2024 election
Local electoral area	Name	Party
Athy	Aoife Breslin		Labour
	Ivan Keatley		Fine Gael
	Brian Dooley		Fianna Fáil
	Veralouise Behan		Fianna Fáil
	Mark Leigh		Labour
Celbridge	David Trost		Fianna Fáil
	Claire O'Rourke		Social Democrats
	Lumi Panaite Fahey		Fine Gael
	Rupert Heather		Labour
Clane	Brendan Wyse		Fine Gael
	Pádraig McEvoy		Independent
	Aidan Farrelly[a]		Social Democrats
	William Durkan		Fine Gael
	Daragh Fitzpatrick		Fianna Fáil
Kildare	Suzanne Doyle		Fianna Fáil
	Kevin Duffy		Fine Gael
	Brian O'Loughlin		Fianna Fáil
	Pat Balfe		Social Democrats
	Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh[a]		Sinn Féin
Leixlip	Joe Neville[a]		Fine Gael
	Nuala Killeen		Social Democrats
	Bernard Caldwell		Fianna Fáil
Maynooth	Naoise Ó Cearúil[a]		Fianna Fáil
	Tim Durkan		Fine Gael
	Angela Feeney		Labour
	Peter Melrose		Social Democrats
	Paul Ward		Fianna Fáil
Naas	Bill Clear[b]		Social Democrats
	Fintan Brett		Fine Gael
	Evie Sammon		Fine Gael
	Seamie Moore		Independent
	Anne Breen		Labour
	Carmel Kelly		Fianna Fáil
	Ger Dunne		Independent Ireland
Newbridge	Tracey O'Dwyer		Fine Gael
	Peggy O'Dwyer		Fine Gael
	Chris Pender		Social Democrats
	Noel Heavey		Fianna Fáil
	Robert Power		Fianna Fáil
	Tom McDonnell		Independent

Notes

1. Replaced during term, see table below for details.
2. Changed party, see table below for details.

Co-options

Party		Outgoing	LEA	Reason	Date	Co-optee
	Social Democrats	Aidan Farrelly	Clane	Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election	19 December 2024	Paula Mulroe[11]
	Fine Gael	Joe Neville	Leixlip	Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election	19 December 2024	Paul Brooks[12]
	Sinn Féin	Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh	Kildare	Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election	19 December 2024	Noel Connolly[13]
	Fianna Fáil	Naoise Ó Cearúil	Maynooth	Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election	19 December 2024	Donna Phelan[14]

Changes in affiliation

Name	LEA	Elected as		New affiliation		Date
Bill Clear	Naas		Social Democrats		Independent	September 2024[15]