Tullamore Municipal District Services Director to retire

A new service director has been appointed to Tullamore Municipal District. Noel Gorman will replace Tom Shanahan, who has been at the helm for the past seven years.

Mr. Shanahan, who is retiring at the end of December, has overseen the development and promotion of numerous projects throughout the region.

At the November Tullamore Cathaoirleach Municipal District meeting, councilor Frank Moran said members were looking forward to working with Mr Gorman over the coming period.

“I would like to thank Tom Shannahan for all the work he has done at the council. On behalf of the members, you have been a great person to run the business with and we really appreciate all the work that has been done so far in the Tullamore Council District. We sincerely thank a million for everything you have given us over the years. – said Commander Moran.

Commander Declan Harvey said he was looking forward to working with Mr Gorman. “If I get along with you as well as I do with Tom, we won’t be so bad.” Tom, you were a great person, very fair. You are a gentleman, very easy to get along with and I wish you all the best for the future.”

Councilman Neil Feighery said Gorman has a very difficult role to take on.

“There’s a lot going on in Tullamore,” he said. “Today I recognize the contributions of Tom Shanahan. I have worked with Tom on many projects. I consider him the most noble and very decent public servant. He is a man of his word. Thank you for your service,” he added.

Councilman Sean O’Brien also welcomed Mr. Gorman. “It’s a busy job, there’s a lot going on and there are always interesting projects in Tullamore. We certainly look forward to your experience. Tom was a fantastic manager. He was always available. Picking up the phone will give you a direct answer. He has made a huge contribution to Tullamore over the past few years with major projects underway and many more in the pipeline.”

Mr Shanahan thanked members for their kind sentiments. “It’s been a pleasure working in Tullamore,” he said. “I have always appreciated the great desire of all of us to work together. If we took a little more time to get into position, that’s what we did. I recognize your willingness to serve all together for the good of Tullamore.”

Looking ahead, Mr Shanahan said he expected the High Street/Tanyard line and town greenway to be completed in the next few months. “It’s good to see,” he said.

“I have very good memories of the people here. It’s fantastic that there is a desire to reach consensus, we’ve had a lot of discussions here but we’ve worked out all the details in advance.” He also said. “It was also great to see things develop in Clara,” adding that while Tullamore may have “grabbed all the headlines,” there was a lot of work going on in towns like Clara and other villages across the county.

The new director of services is Noel Gorman, pictured below.