Clare man appointed as new Galway City Council chief executive

Galway City Council (GCC) have approved the appointment of Leonard Cleary as Chief Executive.

Mr. Cleary, whose appointment follows a recruitment process conducted by the Public Appointments Service, assumes the role held by Brendan McGrath from 2013 until his retirement in 2023.

The Elected Members of GCC approved his appointment on Monday, March 4. 

A native of Corofin in North Clare, Mr. Cleary has over 26 years of experience in local government having held several senior leadership roles in Clare County Council (CCC), including in Housing, Tourism, Human Resources, and Community and Rural Development.

He also was Ennis Town Clerk in Ennis Town Council with a significant interest in urban economic regeneration.

Under Mr. Cleary’s stewardship as Director of Service, CCC was the first local authority in the country to produce a Rural Development Strategy supported by a full Directorate.

Subsequently, he led the first dedicated Tourism Development Directorate in a local authority in the country guided by a ten-year County Tourism Strategy.

The graduate of DCU, UCC, NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway and the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) also oversaw the development of a Digital Hub network across Clare, and, more recently, the transfer of the Shannon Heritage portfolio of visitor attractions from the Shannon Airport Group to the local autho.

Under his Tourism Development remit, Mr. Cleary was responsible for the management of Clare’s leading tourism attractions including the Cliffs of Moher Experience, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Loop Head Lighthouse, and Vandeleur Walled Garden and Visitor Centre.

Mr. Cleary said he was “honoured and excited” about assuming the role, adding, “I wish to thank the Mayor and Elected Members of Galway City Council for approving the appointment and I look forward to working in partnership with them.”

“The scale and ambition of the projects undertaken by Galway City Council in recent years underlines the central role it plays in the economic and social development of the country’s fourth largest city,” he said. “A thriving Galway City has significant positive implications for the wider hinterland in the West of Ireland, and I look forward to developing a close and proactive working relationship with the Elected Members, staff of the local authority and community and business stakeholders over the coming years.”

“I wish to acknowledge and thank my colleague, Patricia Philbin, who has served as Interim Chief Executive since June 2023 for her excellent stewardship, and to especially acknowledge the huge commitment to Galway City Council of my predecessor Brendan McGrath,” concluded Mr. Cleary.

At Tuesday's meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, councillors took the opportunity to thank Mr Cleary for his work with CCC and the MD, and to wish him the best of luck in his new role, which he will take up in May.

The Mayor of the City of Galway Cllr. Eddie Hoare has also commented on the appointment, saying; “On behalf of the Elected Members, I wish Leonard Cleary every success in his new role.

"Galway City Council will greatly benefit from his wealth of experience in all areas of local authority work from community to housing and from tourism to enterprise. My colleagues and I look forward to working with Leonard Cleary when he takes up his new position in May.”