Are Donegal's former town councils set to be brought back to life?

The prospect of town councils returning to Donegal has moved a step closer, after Taoiseach Micheál Martin signalled that a pilot scheme could be considered in areas where councils once existed—along with towns experiencing significant population growth.

Mr Martin was responding to Independent TD Seamus Healy, who called for the restoration of town and borough councils abolished in 2014.

The TD highlighted that former minister Brendan Howlin, involved in the original decision to scrap town councils, has publicly admitted that abolishing the councils was a mistake.

The Taoiseach said he had opposed the abolition of town councils at the time, describing them as “effective” and noting their vital role in responding to emergencies such as flooding.

However, he also acknowledged that re-establishing a structure once dismantled would be challenging, saying it would need to be brought back “kicking and screaming.”

A major report that may shape the future of local governance is expected next February. The Taskforce on Local Democracy—established to examine the functions, funding, and powers of local authorities—is currently studying a range of issues, including the potential return of town councils.

The comments of the Taoiseach have been welcomed by South Inishowen Councillor Fionán Bradley, who has been a vocal advocate for the restoration of Buncrana Town Council.

Mr Bradley says the Taoiseach’s latest comments are part of a growing shift in attitude at national level: “Micheál Martin was very positive in his response. He previously said that within three years, town councils in some areas would be restored, and in others they would be established for the first time.”

The Buncrana councillor believes that the absence of a town council has left Buncrana at a disadvantage over the past decade.

“It’s one of the only things that unifies everybody I speak to, Buncrana is a poorer place in every way since the council was abolished,” he said.

He pointed to this summer’s controversy over street cleaning as a key example:

“That simply wouldn’t have happened with a town council. When the old town council couldn’t get a private company to clean the streets, they bought their own street sweeper from their own resources. When I asked the county council to do the same, it was a straight no.”

He argues that the centralisation of decision-making has diluted Buncrana’s voice.

“With nine Town Councillors plus two or three County Councillors, you’d have up to a dozen people pushing for the same thing. Now the three of us from Buncrana go to Carndonagh or Lifford, and we’re three voices among nine or even 37. It’s easy to be drowned out.”

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Councillor Bradley believes major local projects would be significantly further along if a town council were still in place.

“The three-school campus, the leisure centre, the inner relief road—these could be two, three, even five years further down the line if we had a town council. It was a body focused solely on the development of Buncrana. Everything it did over its 100-year history was, I think most people would agree, positive for the town.”