Tributes paid to ‘passionate’ Tipperary district administrator as she takes up new role
Tributes were paid to Clonmel Borough District administrator Carol Creighton at the March meeting, as she leaves the role for a new position within the council.
Mayor of Clonmel, councillor Pat English led the tributes to Ms Creighton, saying that she gave the job her “heart and soul”.
"Just to acknowledge that Carol is leaving, and I want to thank her for the number of years you’ve been working in the borough district, you’re a native of the town and you gave it your heart and soul, and it was a pleasure to be working with you,” Cllr English said.
"I wish you well in your promotion and just to say a big thank you on behalf of the people of Clonmel for what you’ve done for the town over the period that you’ve been here,” he added.
Ms Creighton was presented with a bouquet of flowers to wish her well and thank her for her service to the district.
She took up the position of district administrator in 2022, but has been part of the district’s admin team for more than 10 years.
Fine Gael councillor John Fitzgerald agreed with Cllr English, saying it was “quite obvious” that Ms Creighton hailed from Clonmel due to her passion for the town and the job.
"She really did have a desire to improve the borough district and the town, you stuck to your guns and you’re no walkover,” he said.
Fianna Fáil councillor Siobhán Ambrose said that Ms Creighton and the councillors worked well together over the 10 years that she was on the borough district’s administration team.
"It’s never an easy position either and we all worked very well together and we got a lot of work done,” Cllr Ambrose said.
"Your new job will be again, another challenging one, but I have no doubt that you’ll handle it with quite aplomb as you did your current one, so I wish you very well in your new role,” she added.
District director for the Clonmel Borough District Jonathan Cooney also paid tribute to his colleague, saying that she has a passion for Clonmel.
"Being from the town, you can see that passion in everything that Carol did, and sometimes we don’t realise the time and the effort that goes into organising festivals, be that an evening event or a weekend event, but Carol had a phenomenal enthusiasm for the town in terms of festivals.
"You can see it over the years how festivals and events have grown in the town and we have more of them now than we had four years ago, and you can see Carol’s hands all over that,” Mr Cooney said.
Thanking her colleagues for their kind words, Ms Creighton said that her experience working in the district was “incredible.”
"It’s been a decade of learning, the community spirit in this town and the teamwork I have in the background in the district, and with the councillors, I feel nothing but gratitude,” she said.
"I’ve been privileged and lucky, and Marie, who is taking over my role will be just as privileged and lucky to step in there. It’s a fantastic town and there’s fantastic people here,” Ms Creighton added.
Paying tribute to the various community groups and organisations in Clonmel and the surrounds, Ms Creighton said that “every day has been meaningful."
"There’s not one day that I come into work and say ‘I don’t want to be here’, I’ve loved every second of the district, and I love having been able to help people, whether it’s been a school, the guards, community groups, voluntary groups, festivals, events or councillors and the public in general,” she said.
"It has been an easy place to work, it has been easy to come to work, and I love you all like a family, and all the staff have been amazing,” she added.
Ms Creighton’s departure marks the end of more than a decade of service to the district.