PASSING OF FORMER COUNTY MANAGER WHO PLAYED INFLUENTIAL ROLE IN MONAGHAN’S DEVELOPMENT
The death has occurred of Mr Joe Gavin, who served as Monaghan Co Council’s Co Manager for almost 23 years and played an influential role in advancing capital developments and acquisition projects that contributed to the county’s social and economic development. Mr Gavin passed away at the Drumbear Lodge nursing home in Monaghan Town. He was predeceased by his wife Maura and brother Eddie. He is survived by daughters Anne Marie, Catherine, Aileen and Ciara; sons-in-law J J, Declan, Vinnie and Gerard; grandchildren; brother Kieran, Moate; brothers-in-law; sisters-in-law; nephews and nieces, and a wide circle of other relatives and friends.
Monday’s private Funeral Mass at St Macartan’s Cathedral was marked by a guard of honour formed by current and retired executive members and staff of the Co Council and former and current elected members of the local authority. A native of Ennis, Co Clare, Mr Gavin assumed the position of Monaghan Co Manager on November 1 1977, succeeding the late Paddy Lavin who had moved to Louth Co Council. He began his career in local government as a clerical officer with Kildare Co Council in 1963, before coming to Co Monaghan for the first time in 1964 to take up the role of Town Clerk with the then Carrickmacross Urban District Council.
After a year in South Monaghan he moved to Offaly Co Council as Staff Officer, serving until 1967 when he became Wicklow Co Council’s Co Accountant. From 1973 until 1976 he was Co Secretary with Westmeath Co Council. Prior to becoming Monaghan Co Manager he served for a year as Assistant Co Manager with Clare Co Council. Joe’s already wide experience of the workings of local government, particularly its financial areas, served him in good stead during his long tenure at the head of the Monaghan local authority executive.
In times of frequent national economic difficulty and limited funding for essential Co Council services such as the maintenance of roads and the provision of housing, he…
