Council postponement prevents Inishowen councillor's co-option

Inishowen businessman, Johnny McGuinness, the son of the late Donegal County Councillor, Bernard McGuinness, was unable to be officially co-opted onto the council to fill his late father's seat.

Cllr Bernard McGuinness passed away in August 2021. He was first elected to Donegal County Council in 1979, representing the people of Inishowen.

In total, Bernard McGuinness was elected as a councillor on eight occasions. He served as Chairman of the Council, and also contested three general elections.

Mr McGuinness was due to be co-opted at Monday's January plenary meeting of the council. However, the meeting was postponed for one week, having been adjourned six times, before the suspension of Cllr Frank McBrearty (Independent) for one month.

Speaking to Inish Live, Johnny McGuinness said it was an honour and a privilege to take over his father's seat and continue the work he started and projects he had earmarked for the area.

He added: "It is a bittersweet moment for us as a family and obviously we would rather the seat was not vacant at all and dad had many years left in him but, unfortunately, that is just the way it is. 

"We would like, as a family, to make sure those works that he had started are carried out and brought to fruition and delivered for the people of Inishowen."

When officially co-opted, Johnny McGuinness will sit on the: Inishowen Municipal District Committee; Donegal County Council Mica Redress Committee; Donegal County Council Brexit Committee; Donegal County Council Fisheries Committee; Donegal County Council Agriculture Committee; Donegal Health Committee; Donegal County Council Cultural Committee; Economic Development, Enterprise and Emergency SPC; Roads and Transportation SPC; and the Housing and Corporate SPC.

He will also sit on the North West Regional Development Group and the Inishowen Development Partnership and will be appointed chairperson of the Housing and Corporate Strategic Policy Committee.