Mayor of Tuam becomes latest chain of office in Kitt political dynasty

BYâ€Ë†JACQUELINEâ€Ë†HOGGE NEWLY elected Mayor of Tuam Cllr Eamon Kitt was joined by several of his siblings at the Town Hall this week to celebrate the latest achievement by a member of the East Galway political dynasty. The school principal, who is serving his first term on Tuam Town Council having secured a second seat for Fianna Fáil at the last local elections, accepted the mayoral chain from Cllr Mary Loftus at a special ceremony on Monday evening. Matriarch of the Kitt clan, Bridie, led the large family gathering in attendance, that included the mayor's brother, current Leas Comhairle and Galway East TD Micheál Kitt, and his sister, former government minister ÃÂine Brady. 'It is a great honour for me to be elected Mayor of Tuam. I was delighted to be elected to the town council on my first attempt at running for public office, so to now have the honour of being Mayor is very special indeed,' said Cllr Kitt. 'My wife Liz and I reared our children, Eimear, Donal and Rory here in Tuam where they were well educated in the local primary and secondary schools in the town. 'A good number of my siblings are here also, and it is most appropriate that they made the journey as we were all born in the much-loved and greatly missed Grove Hospital. 'I'm particularly delighted to have my mother Bridie here with us this evening, 'She is in her 92nd year and thankfully in great health. She's often referred to as the real politician in the Kitt household. That may well be the case and indeed she has given a lifetime of unselfish commitment to the people of this constituency. But to me she is simply the best mother anyone could ever hope to have.' Cllr Kitt was proposed as mayor by Cllr Tom Reilly, the longest serving member of the current board, and seconded by Cllr Sally Ann Flanagan who is a close family friend. Independent councillor Imelda Kelly was elected Deputy Mayor for the coming year. The new mayor, who is principal at Ballinderry National School said he had been heartened by all the support and good wishes he had received in the days leading up to his special evening. 'The junior infant children at the school made me a card in which they all signed their names and wished me luck on my new big job,' he said. Highlighting some of the issues he intends to focus on during his year as mayor, Cllr Kitt said the town of Tuam had much to look forward to. 'The last two years have been very difficult, especially for the business community with the big dig causing huge disruption, but now we can move on and get people back into town, doing business again,' he said. 'With that in mind I look forward to working with Tuam Chamber of Commerce in promoting the Tuam 400 celebrations next year. Deputy Mayor Imelda Kelly and I will endeavour to make the most of this opportunity for the good of the town. 'I will also continue to voice and promote my own pet project, the re-opening of the Western Rail corridor. One of the first initiatives we took on as a newly elected council back in 2009 was to organise a petition seeking support for the re-opening of the rail corridor. The support at that time was overwhelming and although the country has to deal with huge financial challenges at the moment, I sincerely hope that when structural funds become available the dream of a train coming into our town will again become a reality.' Outgoing mayor Cllr Loftus thanked the people of Tuam for deeming her worthy to wear the chain and added that while her year had been tainted by illness she had enjoyed representing the people of the town to the best of her ability. 'My year as mayor was difficult due to my illness but it was also an eye opener to all the amazing work that is being done by so many people for the benefit of our town and those living in it,' she said. 'The highlight of the year was in fact a sad occasion, in our memorial service for my former neighbour Ann Marie McHugh who died in the Twin Towers attack in New York,' she said. 'It was a very emotional occasion for us all, but a celebration of her life and I was honoured to be mayor on the day. 'Other highlights have included the work being done to secure a Pieta House service in Tuam, with Colm Farrell walking the length and breath of the country and John Concannon doing a massive amount of work with others to bring this service to our town. Hopefully they will succeed in the not too distant future.'