At a recent meeting of the Fianna Fáil Comhairle Dáil Cheantair (CDC ) held in the Club House Hotel, the Fianna Fáil CDC presented Cllr Michael Lanigan with a gift of appreciation in recognition of his tremendous work on behalf of his constituents and party colleagues alike. The meeting was attended by party members and officials from all corners of the county. Bobby Aylward TD and Liam Aylward MEP were also in attendance.
The gift was presented on behalf of the CDC by Cllr John Coonan. Cllr Coonan took the opportunity to express his deep gratitude to the Lanigan family who, he said, had assisted him and their local Fianna Fáil organisation at every turn down through the years. Cllr Coonan spoke of when he first entered politics in Kilkenny and was elected to both the borough council, or corporation as it was then known, and the county council alongside Michael Lanigan sr. “We were two candidates from the same parish and in the same party, we were successfully elected each time and this illustrates the fact that when candidates work together for the betterment of the local community they will succeed.” Cllr Coonan went on to speak about how this friendship continued with Michael Lanigan jr: “Michael Lanigan jr approached local politics with the same commitment and determination as his father, over the years we have been elected together and it has been a pleasure to be associated, both politically and personally with the Lanigan family”. Bobby Aylward TD also expressed his thanks to the Lanigan family for the hard work down through the years and said that the Lanigans as public representatives and citizens always made an honest contribution to civic life and will be missed. On receiving the award Cllr Lanigan thanked all the men and women who had helped him down through the years, but reminded those in attendance that he may not be seeking re-election in two weeks time, but he quipped “I will still be around”. The gift presented was a compilation of poems and short stories by famous Irish playwright, poet, and author John B Keane.
