Cathaoirleach foots Christmas dinner bill

In a break from the norm the Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, John Paul Feeley, picked up the cheque himself after hosting local elected members for dinner at Neven Maguire’s award-winning MacNean House and Restaurant in December.

Seventeen local councillors, excluding Fianna Fáil’s Sean Smith, dined out at the Blacklion-based bistro after the December monthly meeting.

The meeting took place, as per tradition, in the home area of the sitting Cathaoirleach - at St Patrick’s Hall, Glangevlin.

Once the meeting concluded, councillors travelled to the west Cavan village where they were treated to a luxurious pre-Christmas feast hosted in-person by Neven himself.

None of the council’s executive attended the event, which in previous years was held at Cabra Castle (Clifford Kelly) and Kilian’s Lodge Hotel (Shane P O’Reilly) and paid for from local authority’s own coffers. In the run-up Cllr Feeley paid tribute to the award-winning local chef and his team for his role as a “great ambassador” for his home village, and the Cavan brand in general.

“I know that my pride in Neven and the hard work of his staff is also shared by my fellow councillors,” stated Cllr Feeley. “I am delighted through this Christmas Dinner to; in a small way show our appreciation for Neven and his staff.”

At the January council meeting, Cllr Feeley thanked the councillors for their attendance, and paid tribute to the community of Glangevlin for their efforts in hosting the assembly.

He concluded his remarks by noting for the record that the cheque for the night’s hospitality at McNean’s had been “discharged on my own behalf”.