Offaly County Council appoints new chief executive

Offaly County Council members have formally ratified the appointment of Eoghan Ryan as its new chief executive, with the Kildare native due to take up his role as the top local authority official in the county in the coming weeks.

The elected members ratified the appointment of Mr Ryan at a special 'in committee' (behind closed doors) meeting on Monday of this week, at which only one name was put forward to succeed outgoing chief executive, Anna Marie Delaney, who is due to retire at the end of this month after a ten-year tenure.

Eoghan Ryan, who has been working as a Director of Services with Kildare County Council, and is also understood to have strong links to Offaly, has a long and distinguished career in many areas of local government and is a professional planner and urban designer.

A graduate of UCD, he held the position as Head of Planning and Urban Design with the National Building Agency for over 15 years.

He then took up a job as senior adviser in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government where he worked alongside the Minister for Housing in the area of unfinished and abandoned housing developments across the country in the wake of the economic crash.

The new Offaly chief executive also worked with the Departments of Social Protection and Employment Affairs prior to taking up a post with Kildare County Council.

During his time with the local authority in Kildare over the past six years, Mr Ryan has been a member of the council’s senior management team as well as serving as a District Manager with responsibility for the Naas Municipal District.

Cllr John Leahy confirmed to the Offaly Independent this week that, in his position as Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, he contacted Eoghan Ryan by email after Monday's special Council meeting to formally offer him the position of Chief Executive, which he has accepted.

Cllr Leahy said Mr Ryan has "a huge range of experience across all sectors" of local government and is hoping to be in a position to take up his new role as the head of Offaly County Council "within the next four to six weeks".

The elected members of the council were "not privy" to information on how many applicants applied for the role as chief executive of the Offaly local authority, Cllr Leahy said.

In line with protocol, Mr Ryan's name was recommended to members before Christmas and the Corporate Policy Group (CPG) met on Monday, December 22 to “consider the matter” said the council Cathaoirleach.

"Within ten days of that meeting we were required to meet 'in committee' to ratify the new appointment, which is what took place on Monday of this week," he aded.

A spokesperson for Offaly County Council told the Offaly Independent this week that "no start date has yet been agreed" for the new chief executive of the local authority to take up the new position.

Meanwhile, outgoing chief executive, and Laois native, Anna Marie Delaney was the recipient of many warm tributes from members at the December 2025 meeting of Offaly County Council when the issue of her impending retirement was raised under Any Other Business, with members variously describing her as 'kind' 'patient' 'helpful' 'amenable' and 'extremely generous with her time and her talents'.