Margaret Conlon co-opted to Monaghan County Council

Conlon previously represented the Cavan-Monaghan constituency in Dáil Éireann.

Margaret Conlon’s co-option to Monaghan County Council marks a return to public office for a recognised name with experience in national politics.

A member of Fianna Fáil, she succeeds the late councillor Seamus Coyle in the Ballybay-Clones Municipal District area, following his sudden death in August.

Her selection followed a party convention which took place at the Creighton Hotel in Clones, where she emerged ahead of other potential candidates, including Aisling Sheridan and Ruairi Ward.

Sheridan, originally from Drumhowan and living in Tullycorbet, and Ward, from Latton and who operates a local farm consultancy business, bothy also put their names forward to fill the vacant council seat.

Conlon previously represented the Cavan-Monaghan constituency in Dáil Éireann, having been first elected in 2007.

She secured 9,303 first-preference votes in her first run out, benefiting particularly from Fianna Fáil’s strong performance in polls nationwide.

However, she lost her Dáil seat at the general election five years later, when her party suffered a substantial national electoral setback following the economic crash.

Her involvement in politics predats her election to the Dáil.

Conlon was a founding member of the Fianna Fáil cumann at NUI Maynooth and served on the party’s National Executive from 1986 to 1988.

Following her defeat in 2011, she contested a Seanad Éireann election on the Industrial and Commercial Panel but was unsuccessful.

In 2014, she also sought election to Monaghan County Council in the Carrickmacross–Castleblayney area, receiving approximately 6.8 per cent of the vote but failed to secure a seat.

Outside politics, Conlon served as principal of St Louis Secondary School in Monaghan town, retiring in 2025.