Queen's County Council (now Laois County Council) was created in 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 and the first local elections for the county council, and the councils of the five rural districts within Queen's County, were held on 6 April 1899, simultaneous with elections in the other administrative counties.[2] The first Queen's County Council comprised 32 councillors serving a three-year term:
- 22 elected, one from each of the 22 county districts[3]
- five rural district council chairmen, ex officio
- three nominees of the outgoing county grand jury, the unelected county government prior to the 1898 act
- two members co-opted by the other members at the council's first meeting on 22 April 1899[4]
Councillors
edit| County district | Councillor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abbeyleix | William Phelan | |
| Arless | John Byrne | |
| Ballinakill | Patrick Brennan | Not the Newtown district representative |
| Ballybrittas | Denis Boland | |
| Borris-in-Ossory | Laurence Thomas Kelly | Vice chairman |
| Castletown | Arthur McMahon | Not the Abbeyleix RDC chairman |
| Clonaslee | John Treacy | |
| Coolrain | Michael Fitzpatrick | |
| Cullenagh | James McMahon | |
| Donaghmore | Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown | |
| Durrow | Patrick O'Flanagan | |
| Emo | John Williams | |
| Luggacurren | Thomas Breen | |
| Maryborough | Patrick A. Meehan | Chairman. Maryborough is now Portlaoise |
| Mountmellick | William McEvoy | |
| Mountrath | John Dowling | |
| Newtown | Patrick Brennan | Not the Ballinakill district representative |
| O'Moresforest | Patrick Doran | |
| Portarlington South | Charles Bannon | |
| Rathdowney | Daniel Quigley | |
| Stradbally | Denis Shaughnessy | |
| Tinnahinch | William Dunne |
| Type | Rural district | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RDC chairman | Abbeyleix | Arthur McMahon | Not the Castletown district representative |
| Athy No. 2 | Thomas Timmins | ||
| Carlow No. 2 | Matthias McWey | ||
| Mountmellick | James Dunne | ||
| Roscrea No. 3 | Thomas Lowry | ||
| Grand jury | — | Robert Cosby | Of Stradbally Hall |
| Henry Charles White | Of "Charleville", Roscrea | ||
| Edmund Dease | |||
| Co-opted | — | James Joseph Aird | Auctioneer and merchant in Maryborough; father of William Aird.[6] |
| James Conroy |
Results by district
edit| Name | Votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Fitzpatrick | 186 | Labourers' support |
| E. Conroy | 184 | Catholic clergy support |
| C. P. Hamilton | 24 |
References
edit- Local Government Board for Ireland (1900). Twenty-seventh report. Command papers. Vol. C.9480. Dublin: Alex. Thom for HMSO. §§1–7 and Appendices A. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ Laois Heritage Society. "Towns and Villages of Laois: Portlaoise: Courthouse". Ask About Ireland. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ C.9480 p.12
- ^ C.9480 pp.303–305
- ^ a b "First Council Meeting". Laois County Council. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ a b O'Hanlon, John; O'Leary, Edward; Lalor, Matthew (1914). History of the Queen's County. Vol. II: 1556–1900. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker. pp. 744–745. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ Dunne, John. "22 Main Street". Pictures of Portlaoise. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ Leinster Express, 15 April 1899; cited in Dooley, Ger. "History of Camross, County Laois; 1641–1955: Democracy Grows". 131 Weeks. Retrieved 23 December 2019.