Women to be front and centre of Wicklow councils for the coming year

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

In a county that has seen four female councillors resign in the last three years, women will now chair the county council and four district councils.

For the first time in the history of the local authority, Wicklow County Council will be led by an all-female team. In addition, all the district councils with sitting female councillors are set to be led by women also.

This means that for the coming year, the chairs of Wicklow County Council, and Arklow, Baltinglass, Bray and Greystones municipal districts will all be women.

Speaking following her election as cathaoirleach of Baltinglass Municipal District, Cllr Avril Cronin summed up what many female councillors feel when saying that she feels it is tough being a female in politics, but she wants to continue working to be a role model for all women looking to enter the political field in the future.

Since the beginning of the decade, four female representatives have resigned from their duties in Wicklow with all of them being replaced by men.

Mags Crean was the first to step down as an independent for the Greystones Municipal District in June 2022.

She was subsequently replaced by the former mayor of Greystones, Cllr Stephen Stokes.

The former Social Democrats councillor Jodie Neary announced her intention to leave local politics four months later, with Cllr Mark Barry taking her place.

In January 2024, Mick Ryan was co-opted to serve the interests of Bray Municipal District after Sinn Féin’s Grace McManus indicated in October 2023 that she could no longer continue in her role.

Then in March 2025, Fine Gael representative for Bray East Aoife Flynn Kennedy decided to step aside and, despite backing Bray woman Rebecca Molloy for the position, Ned Whelan came out on top as the favoured candidate following a selection convention.

These resignations bring the number of women on the 32-seat council down to just nine.

Green Party Spokesperson for Children and Equality Councillor Lourda Scott endorsed the nomination of Melanie Corrigan as Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County at their AGM last week, after recently claiming the gender balance on the council was “going in the wrong direction”.

Speaking the during the meeting, Cllr Scott said Ms Corrigan’s appointment is needed.

“I welcome another female cathaoirleach in the role. I think bringing that perspective is important and bringing that diversity is also important and sends a positive message to the wider people in the county.”

In what may be considered an uptick for gender equality across the board for Wicklow County Council, four of the five municipal districts will also be led by women for the next twelve months.

All for the second time, Cllr Erika Doyle will take the reigns in Bray, Cllr Avril Cronin will sit at the top of the table in Bray and Cllr Lourda Scott will wear the chain of office in Greystones.

Cllr Miriam Murphy will also oversee proceedings in Arklow in her first term as chair.

After independent councillor Mary Kavanagh lost her seat following the local election in June 2024 and Fine Gael representative Irene Winters retired, there are no female elected members working in the Wicklow MD.

Graham Richmond will hold the title of cathaoirleach there for the coming year.

Across the country, only 26pc of local authority seats are held by women, despite them making up more than half of the Irish population.

This was brought into sharp focus following the general election last November.

52 councillors were elected to the 34th Dail compromising twelve women and 42 men.

However, following the co-option process there was only marginal increase in the number of seats filled by women.