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

The return of town councils could be on the horizon, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin indicating that a pilot scheme may be considered in areas where councils once existed and in towns with growing populations.

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 value, particularly when towns faced flooding and lacked adequate local resources.

However, he warned that reinstating a system once abolished would be challenging, saying it must be brought back “kicking and screaming.”

A Taskforce on Local Democracy, established to examine the future of local governance, including funding and council functions, is expected to report in early 2026.

Fianna Fáil’s Ballinrobe-based councillor Damian Ryan, who is a member of the taskforce, said that the taskforce had held four meetings since June 2025, and called for its full implementation when published.

Councillor Ryan said, "The work is extensive and a huge amount of work has gone into it from all pillars of local democracy.

“Everything is up for consideration,” councillor Ryan said, “but local and national representatives should refrain from commenting until the report is published, adding that comments at this time aren’t helpful.

“The taskforce has invested a huge amount of time and resources into this work, and its findings will be for discussion in early 2026."