Kerry chief recommended for top Cork County Council role

Moira Murrell has been recommended for appointment as chief executive

The chief executive of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell, has been recommended for appointment as the chief executive of Cork County Council.

The chief executive of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell, has been recommended for appointment as the chief executive of Cork County Council.

The recommendation from the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is for an initial seven-year period and will need to be ratified by members of the council. Ms Murrell has been head of Kerry County Council for the past ten years. 

A native of Killarney, she began her career in Kerry County Council in 1993. She moved to Cork County Council in 2007 as a director of services, where she served for three years in the West Cork division. In 2010, she was appointed divisional manager with responsibility for the North Cork region.

The search for the new chief executive officer began in January. It followed the departure of former chief Tim Lucey last October, who left to take over as chief executive officer of Greyhound Racing Ireland. Valerie O’Sullivan, the council's southern divisional manager has served as acting chief executive officer until a permanent appointment was made.

Ms Murrell's recommendation is the first in a series of appointments expected in the coming months for top positions in councils and semi-state bodies in the Munster region.

The chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty ends her ten-year period in September with the search by the PAS currently underway for her successor.

The recruitment began in March for the position of chief of Waterford City and County Council after chief executive officer Michael Walsh's 10-year term came to an end.

The Port of Cork is also recruiting a new chief executive officer with current chief Eoin McGettigan stepping down this month after almost four years in the role.

The election will also take place next month of a directly-elected mayor of Limerick, the first such role in the country.

Council chief executive officers are recruited through a competitive process organised by the PAS and formally appointed by the minister for local government and ratified by the city councillors. They are appointed for an initial seven-year term which can be extended for a further three years.