Fianna Fáil councillor tenders resignation from party in dramatic scenes at Wexford AGM — ‘This is a decision I believe was forced on me’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

It may have been one of the worst-kept secrets in the history of Wexford politics, but there was still an air of anticipation in Wexford County Hall on Friday afternoon as the assembled press, gallery, and dignitaries awaited the commencement of the Wexford County Council (WCC) Annual General Meeting.

That sense of anticipation - which in some quarters was mixed with trepidation - centred around the outgoing cathaoirleach and his long-rumoured departure from Fianna Fáil. While Councillor Joe Sullivan’s decision to resign from the party he has represented since he was first elected in 2014 was common knowledge, the manner in which he would announce it was less certain.

And, with a number of meetings having descended into chaos in recent months, those who had previously crossed paths with Cllr Sullivan were bracing themselves for the worst.

Having thanked the executive members of the council for their work during his tenure and paid tribute to the unseen efforts of those toiling behind the scenes, Cllr Sullivan said it would be “remiss” not to mention the challenges to his position and authority over the past year.

Those challenges included a rumoured vote of no-confidence in the cathaoirleach, a public spat with party colleague Donal Kenny, and a series of motions in which Cllr Sullivan chose to vote against Fianna Fáil policy.

“As a result of this, I have had to make a very hard decision, whether it be for better or worse, to resign from the Fianna Fáil party and remain in the council for the remainder of this term as an independent councillor,” said Cllr Sullivan. “This is not a decision I took lightly but one I believe was forced upon me.”

With his resignation official, Cllr Sullivan was informally welcomed to the Opposition by Sinn Féin’s Tom Forde who praised the outgoing chair for his fairness during his time at the helm.

Further praise came from Cllr Pat Barden of the Wexford Independent Alliance (WIA) who said it was “regrettable” that Cllr Sullivan’s fairness had “come at the cost” of his membership of Fianna Fáil.

As someone who has also chosen to leave Fianna Fáil in the recent past, Cllr Michael Sheehan was as well-positioned as anyone to offer advice for the newly independent councillor, and he referenced the souring of relations in the chamber since the start of the year.

“Since Christmas, there has been a turn in the mood of this chamber, and not for the better,” he said. “Some of the roughest meetings I’ve ever seen have taken place in recent months. You handled those with dignity and you should be proud of yourself.”

While bridges may have intentionally been burned and alliances severed beyond repair, there were still some words of encouragement from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael as Cllr Sullivan took up his new seat between independent councillors Sheehan and Ger Carthy.

“I wish you all the best in your new political direction,” offered Fine Gael’s Oliver Walsh.

Intoning the memory of the late, great Frank Sinatra, Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy said that, above all else, her now former colleague had “done it your way”.

In a statement issued to the Irish Independent, Cllr Sullivan outlined the chain of events which had led to him taking the decision to leave Fianna Fáil.

Starting a month after he assumed the role in July 2025, Cllr Sullivan said the first rumblings of discontent were felt following a motion submitted by Cllr Jim Codd calling for the retention of the Triple Lock.

“I was in total agreement with the motion,” he said. “It would appear now that Fianna Fáil has changed its policy on this matter and its programme for government states it wishes to reform the Triple Lock but, in my opinion, it intends to do away with it.”

A further issue arose in September of last year when Wexford County Council voted not to nominate a candidate for the Presidential Election.

“I was totally at variance with this decision as I believe that the facility of nominating a presidential candidate is one of the very few powers county councillors have.,” said Cllr Sullivan. “And the shambolic performance of Fianna Fáil, where its candidate withdrew from the contest, vindicated my position and highlighted the ineptness of the Fianna Fáil councillors and their inability to read the political mood.”

Having been at odds with his party over the Mercusor Deal in January, 2026, the biggest hurdle Cllr Sullivan had to overcome during his time in the chair came in March when, following their blockade of Rosslare Europort, a number of fuel protestors attended the monthly meeting of WCC.

The behaviour of the protestors during the meeting led to some female councillors reporting feeling threatened and unsafe, with claims they had tried to alert Cllr Sullivan, as chair, to their concerns, and that he had chosen to ignore them.

“The (fuel protestors) presence at the meeting was hotly contested by some members of the council who directed their ire at me. I had sympathy with the protestors and was supportive of them,” he said in his statement.

“Some councillors said they felt intimidated and threatened by the presence of the protestors. I saw or heard nothing that warranted asking the (protestors) to leave the meeting. I came in for a torrent of abuse from councillors during the meeting, being called a ‘disgrace’ by one councillor, while another saw fit to go on local radio and muse over whether a vote of no confidence be called against me.”

Saying he felt “hurt, let down, and undermined” by the actions of his fellow councillors, Cllr Sullivan said he got “absolutely no support whatsoever from Fianna Fáil councillors” during this time and that this, ultimately, forced him to consider his future with the party.