Councillor John Coonan has been elected as the new Mayor of Kilkenny City.
The Fianna Fáil councillor was nominated by party colleague Joe Malone at the Kilkenny City Municipal District AGM this morning. Following his appointment, Cllr Coonan described it as the “proudest moment of a political career.”
He succeeds Cllr. Andrew McGuinness, who called his own year as Kilkenny’s first citizen “a really, really fantastic year.”
Meanwhile, Green Party councillor Maria Dollard was elected Deputy Mayor — a result she called a “shock” and a “surprise.”
This isn’t Cllr Coonan’s first time as Mayor. He previously served the term in 2020—his return highlights both his experience and the confidence Councillors place in his leadership.
Speaking to KCLR news after his election, Cllr. Coonan said he hopes to deliver on the agenda already set out by the municipal district.
“When I’m asked where I’m from and people hear Kilkenny, they say, ‘Oh, Kilkenny is beautiful,’” he said. “The focus is on maintaining and enhancing the public realm, the buildings, the open spaces, and the developments taking place — down at the Abbey Quarter, at the Market Yard, and on the Parade. Those are the things that enhance the city.”
