Príomh Comhairleoir fires back at Mayor John Moran over Limerick council clash

PRIOMH Comhairleoir Catherine Slattery, who abruptly exited a highly-charged council meeting this week, has fired back at claims she overreacted to a comment made during the proceedings by Mayor John Moran.

She has accused the first citizen of “disrespecting” her on a “constant basis”.

The Fianna Fail councillor unexpectedly adjourned the bi-monthly meeting of Limerick City and County Council on Monday after taking exception to a remark made by the executive mayor in relation to her presence on a committee.

The pair have had a fractious relationship since Cllr Slattery was elected to chair full meetings, where she sits beside Mayor Moran, last June.

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Their row comes just days after a three-part investigation by The Currency which revealed deep dysfunction and conflict at the top of the organisation.

And it’s emerged that just months into her term as priomh comhairleoir, at the end of October 2025, she made a complaint about the executive mayor to the council’s human resources (HR) department suggesting he had failed to comply with the Code of Conduct for councillors.

“I think anyone who thinks my behaviour wasn’t justified has no place in a workplace. If anyone thinks disrespecting, intimidating or demeaning anyone, be it me or anyone else in that chamber... This was a build-up of me being disrespected on a constant basis since last June,” she said.

Mayor Moran on Tuesday sought to play down the incident when he was questioned at an event to announce funding for projects across the city and county.

“I’m not going to go into the detail of it. You’re describing things that are ongoing, and I don’t necessarily share those views. I appreciate everyone’s been writing stuff. I appreciate they are capturing what happened and people have different views perhaps of what happened. I think there have been accurate recordings of the words I have used, what was said, and how it progressed, and I think everyone will reach their own judgment,” Mayor Moran said.

He pointed out he had not spoken with the priomh comhairleoir since Monday night’s argument.

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Asked if he feels Cllr Slattery needs to toughen up, he replied: “That is a question you need to put to the councillor. I am not going to have any view on other people’s behaviour, what they should do, or how they would want to work in the environment. That’s for her to decide and that’s all I am going to say on it.”

At the bi-monthly meeting, Cllr Slattery referenced the HR complaint. In the seven-page document outlining the complaint, Limerick Live, she makes a number of claims about Mayor Moran.

“I feel since I was elected as priomh comhairleoir, I have not been given the opportunity to do my job correctly,” was one of them.

Mayor Moran said this Tuesday: “If there’s any complaint, I am not aware of it. It has not been brought to my attention yet by the HR team here in the office. If it’s there. I’m sure they will come to me shortly.”

Separately, as part of the investigation in The Currency, former Limerick Leader editor Alan English disclosed the council’s HR team had reviewed the mayor’s office in October 2025, and a critical incident management process followed in August 2025.

A council spokesperson said the local authority does not comment on matters related to the code of conduct.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage added in a statement: “The statutory duty remains with the local authority to take the appropriate action in line with the procedures set out in the act."