Former Fianna Fáil TD Margaret Conlon has been co-opted to Monaghan County Council, filling the Ballybay-Clones Municipal District seat left vacant by the death of Cllr Seamus Coyle, Northern Sound reported.

How she was chosen

Ms Conlon was selected at a Fianna Fáil convention held at the Creighton Hotel in Clones. Two other candidates had been in contention for the seat: Aisling Sheridan, a native of Drumhowan who lives in Tullycorbet, and Ruairi Ward, from Latton.

The seat is a Fianna Fáil one, and the party's convention decided who would be put forward. Ms Conlon was co-opted on the same night the convention was held, Northern Sound reported.

Who she is

Margaret Conlon represented Cavan-Monaghan in Dáil Éireann for Fianna Fáil from 2007 to 2011.

She told Northern Sound she was "honoured" to take up the seat and to continue "the great work" of the late Mr Coyle. She described him as "irreplaceable" and said she is committed to taking on the projects and issues he was involved with and seeing them through the way he would have wanted.

Remembering Seamus Coyle

Cllr Coyle, a popular and well-respected member who served on Monaghan County Council for more than two decades, died suddenly at his home in August. His death left the Ballybay-Clones district one member short for the autumn meetings.

"A hard worker"

Speaking to Northern Sound after her co-option, Cllr Conlon said she was ready to get started on the work right away. Asked how she would like to be remembered, she said she wants her legacy to be that of a "hard worker" who did her best for her constituents.

Her return to elected politics comes some 15 years after she left the Dáil, and she now represents a district that takes in Ballybay, Clones and the surrounding rural areas.

Issues in the district

Cllr Conlon joins the council at a busy time for the Ballybay-Clones area. In Ballybay, the council is about to contact around 120 households that its "reverse register" suggests have no waste collection service. Near Clones, the council has just granted planning permission for a single 4.8MW wind turbine. And in Clones town, Sinn Féin Cllr Pat Treanor has said that €250,000 in funding has been received for the refurbishment of Clones Youth Centre, with works scheduled to be completed in the final quarter of this year.

Councillors across the county are also preparing for budget discussions for 2027, after the council voted this month to keep the Local Property Tax rate unchanged.