Tolan and Jamal take top jobs on Meath Co Council

Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan was elected cathaoirleach and her party colleague Cllr Suzanne Jamal was elected leas cathaoirleach at the annual meeting of Meath County Council.

The Meath Chronicle has learned that the cathaoirleach's position will be dominated by women for the next three years. Fianna Fail Cllr Aisling Dempsey is expected to be nominated for the position next year and for the third year Fine Gael Cllr Sarah Reilly from Kells is expected to occupy the chair.

Today's developments comes after a pact to cover the five years ahead was worked out through a combination of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Social Democrat, Cllr Ronan Moore.

Cllr Tolan's election comes eight years after a woman last held the position. Fine Gael Cllr Maria Murphy was the last women to hold the post.

Cllr Tolan said after her election that she believed in tennis player Billie Jean King's phrase "You have to see it to be it!" and that applied whether people were in sport, business, boardrooms, or politics. She knew that girls were inspired by women participating in all these areas. She condemned the "toxic" nature of social media and said she would campaign for more "positive trend".