Amid all the talk about potholes and street cleaning at Monday’s meeting of Drogheda Borough District, the recently installed antique grandfather clock chimed for the first time at a meeting.
Perhaps it was ringing time on the career of Director of Operations Paddy Donnelly whose last Drogheda meeting this was before he retires at the end of this month.
Paddy started his long and successful career in the public service in Louth in 1979 as a retained fire officer with Dundalk Urban District Council.
Paddy studied many courses and sat many exams and worked his way through the ranks in various Council departments over many years, including Corporate Services, planning and others. He spent four years in charge of the housing section and in 2015 he was promoted to the position of Director of Services for Operations.
He has been based in Drogheda since 2014 and has always been very good humoured at meetings where he managed to keep a level head when tempers sometimes became frayed.
He was particularly loyal to his colleagues on the staff of the Council and was quick to intervene in debates at which councillors had become over excited and had made accusations where they weren’t deserved.
Paddy Donnelly accompanies President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina on a walkabout of Drogheda following the official launch of the 2019 Fleadh Cheoil. Photo: Andy Spearman.
Paddy’s unflappability and legendary organisational skills were brought to bear when he was asked to organise the Fleadh Cheoil in 2018 and 2019 which was the biggest event ever held in Drogheda.
Paddy was also very much involved in organising visits to County Louth by US Presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden and the successful visit to Drogheda by Prince Albert of Monaco in June 2017.
Paddy says he has enjoyed working with the council but is looking forward to having some time to himself. “I’m going now because I don’t want to get to the stage where I don’t enjoy my work” he told Drogheda Life.
“I’m retiring not extinguishing! I have a number of things I want to do, especially to spend more time with my wife Mary, Daughter Sarah and son David.
“Uppermost in my mind at the moment is to take some time out to go travelling with Mary and I’m also very much looking forward to the wedding of my daughter Sarah in December.”
At the end of Monday’s meeting, the Mayor of Drogheda Cllr. Michelle Hall and Deputy Mayor Kevin Callan presented Paddy with a bouquet of flowers and some “Love Drogheda” shopping vouchers.
Speaking to Drogheda Life, the Mayor said: “On behalf of the Drogheda Borough District Councillors we would like to express our best wishes to Director of Services Paddy Donnelly on his retirement from Louth County Council after four decades.
“Paddy has been the director that attended the Drogheda Borough District meetings monthly since 2014, during a period of difficult transition. He has earned the respect and gratitude of the councillors that have served in the town for respecting our elected roles and supporting our work.
“His skills, knowledge and commitment to County Louth will be missed. We wish him many happy and healthy years of retirement and hope he will return to visit us soon, as he spends his Love Drogheda gift voucher!”
