Cllr Pat Hayes (FF), the brother of renowned fiddle player Martin Hayes, was elected unopposed as the new mayor of Clare yesterday.
At the county council’s agm in Ennis, the east Clare councillor – first elected to the local authority in 1999 – took over from Independent councillor Christy Curtin.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Hayes said a major challenge was to restore confidence in the political system. “I hope to be able to stamp my own style on the office of mayor,” he said.