Interview: Longford Chief Executive retires from public service life

Longford County Council’s Chief Executive Paddy Mahon retired from Longford County Council after 10 years in the role

After more than 30 years in local government, including a decade at the helm of Longford County Council, Chief Executive Paddy Mahon has called time on a successful career during which he played a central role in shaping the county we know today.

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In an interview with the Longford Leader, the popular Chief Executive reflects on his time in public office.

Retiring Chief Executive Paddy Mahon | Longford County Council

Born in Galway, Paddy’s path to local government took a less direct route, beginning with a number of years spent abroad. Having qualified as a civil engineer in 1984, he worked in London and Sydney before returning home to Ireland in 1991, where he joined Mayo County Council as a resident engineer on a water scheme.

Speaking about the prospects that were beginning to emerge in the area of civil engineering at the time, Paddy recalled, “The European Union was beginning to invest in Ireland, upgrading our infrastructure, particularly our water and our wastewater infrastructure, so there were opportunities for engineers to work in local authorities around the early nineties. I was lucky I got a job there and I’ve stayed in the local authority system ever since.”

At the turning of the sod outside Connolly Barracks with Longford MD Cathaoirleach Kevin Hussey and Minister Kevin Boxer Moran | Shelley Corcoran

He continued, “The Better Local Government reform created opportunities for people in the system to move into more senior roles so I got a position as a Senior Engineer in Mayo in 2001, and then in 2008 I competed for, and got, the job as Director of Services again in Mayo where I remained there until 2016 when I competed for and got the position in Longford as Chief Executive. I've been here ever since.”

Throughout his decade in Longford, Paddy enjoyed many successes. Under his leadership, Longford secured substantial regeneration funding for various projects including the redevelopment of the Connolly Barracks site, Active Travel Schemes and the ongoing revitalisation of Longford Town.

Cathaoirleach Gerry Hagan with Paddy Mahon at a recent celebration event in council offices to mark Paddy's time with Longford County Council | Shelley Corcoran

The biggest project, he says, is “not over the line yet, but definitely being delivered.” The initiative in question is the N4 project, which will extend the motorway network from Dublin to Longford and onwards towards Sligo. Says Paddy, “If you drive from Dublin now, the motorway system finishes in Mullingar and you're down to single roadway all the way to Longford.”

“That's a huge disadvantage obviously in terms of the county and the town of Longford because the major towns in the region like Athlone and Tullamore all have motorway access to the capital city, but we don't and that's a disadvantage. The fact that the state is prepared to invest in extending the motorway network to Longford and beyond, that's a good, positive thing. So I'm pleased that this project over the last three years has been kept on the books. There has been a huge effort not just in Longford but in the region to make sure that the investment is delivered on, and the elected members locally and the national elected members have kept this as a major priority.”

Longford County Council's Lorraine McKee and Cathaoirleach Gerry Hagan presenting Paddy with a gift to mark his retirement from Longford County Council | Shelley Corcoran

With his successor soon to be announced, Paddy has advice to offer.

“There’s great ambition about this place so what I would say to whoever comes after me is, when I started here I got to know as many people as I could. I met with the representatives and got an understanding of what they felt about the place and what they expected from the council. So whoever's doing the job next, I'd say do that in your first few weeks.”

Paddy Mahon with his Longford County Council colleagues, L-R - Director of Services Barbara Heslin, Cathaoirleach Gerry Hagan, retiring Chief Executive Paddy Mahon, Director of Services, Samantha Healy, Director of Finance John McKeon, and Deputy Chief Executive John Brannigan | Shelley Corcoran

Although he’s looking forward to a relaxing summer of Galway GAA, Paddy admits leaving Longford won't be easy. “It has been a wonderful place to work," he says. “There’s excellent people here in staff and management and we also have really good council members who are so committed to their communities and county. Just look at the Love Life, Love Longford campaign, which Peggy Nolan created, there's that real sense of positive pride in the county. I wouldn’t swap it with anywhere.”

He adds, “I’ll miss Longford, I genuinely will, because every day I came to work, I looked forward to it and that's because it's a great place to be and I mean that.”

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