Class of 94: Councillors to retire after years of outstanding service

THIS year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of South Dublin County Council, following the creation of three new administrative counties in Dublin from January 1, 1994.

The inaugural meeting of SDCC took place in January 1994 in the temporary setting of Regional Technical College Tallaght (now TUD Tallaght) while its first meeting in the new County Hall, Tallaght was held on June 17, 1994, the day before the Republic of Ireland beat Italy at World Cup 94.

That first council meeting features some notable faces including then TDs and subsequent Ministers Pat Rabbitte and Alan Shatter, along with currently serving councillors Guss O’Connell and Charlie O’Connor.

O’Connell (Ind) and O’Connor (FF) are the only remaining sitting elected members from the class of 94, and both have signalled that they are retiring at the end of the current council term in June.

The experienced pair are not the only councillors stepping down ahead of the Local Elections – Kenneth Egan (FG) and Ed O’Brien (FF) announced they would not be seeking re-election quite some time ago.

At the council meeting on Monday, there was much praise for the outgoing councillors, in particular for O’Connell and O’Connor, who soldiered for many years, long before they were elected, in an effort to improve life in the county.

“At 84 I am unlikely to be returning, but you never know,” quipped Cllr O’Connell at the meeting.

Both councillors appeared on the front page of The Echo in January 1994 during the first meeting of the local authority

Mayor Alan Edge paid tribute to Cllrs Egan and O’Brien, for their service to the county, which he said is “not an easy job but very rewarding.”

“A few special words for two people – Guss O’Connell and Charlie O’Connor. Your years of service are outstanding. Your achievements and dedication to the job are clearly understood by everyone beside you. Your wisdom and friendship is something we’ll miss, and I hope you will not be strangers. Thank you for 30-plus years of public service,” said Mayor Edge.

Cllr Mick Duff (Lab), another veteran representative, said he was “delighted to serve with Guss” on various partnerships and on the “ordinary travails of life.”

“To my longtime friend Charlie, and I have known him since before joining politics, before I came to Tallaght in 1977. Marvellous ambassador for Tallaght, showing up to every meeting. I was honoured to see you elected to the Dáil. You’re on the other end of the phone every day and I don’t wish that to end. An amazing example of what a public representative should be,” said Cllr Duff.