Queen's County Council (now Laois County Council) was created in 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 and the first local elections for the county council, and the councils of the five rural districts within Queen's County, were held on 6 April 1899, simultaneous with elections in the other administrative counties.C.9480 p.12 The first Queen's County Council comprised 32 councillors serving a three-year term: 22 elected, one from each of the 22 county districtsC.9480 pp.303–305 five rural district council chairmen, ex officio three nominees of the outgoing county grand jury, the unelected county government prior to the 1898 act two members co-opted by the other members at the council's first meeting on 22 April 1899

Councillors + Queen's County Council election 1899 County district Councillor Notes Abbeyleix William Phelan Arless John Byrne Ballinakill Patrick Brennan Not the Newtown district representative Ballybrittas Denis Boland Borris-in-Ossory Laurence Thomas Kelly Vice chairman Castletown Arthur McMahon Not the Abbeyleix RDC chairman Clonaslee John Treacy Coolrain Michael Fitzpatrick Cullenagh James McMahon Donaghmore Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown Durrow Patrick O'Flanagan Emo John Williams Luggacurren Thomas Breen Maryborough Patrick A. Meehan Chairman. Maryborough is now Portlaoise Mountmellick William McEvoy Mountrath John Dowling Newtown Patrick Brennan Not the Ballinakill district representative O'Moresforest Patrick Doran Portarlington South Charles Bannon Rathdowney Daniel Quigley Stradbally Denis Shaughnessy Tinnahinch William Dunne

+Additional Queen's County councillors 1899 Type Rural district Name Notes RDC chairman Abbeyleix Arthur McMahon Not the Castletown district representative Athy No. 2 Thomas Timmins Carlow No. 2 Matthias McWey Mountmellick James Dunne Roscrea No. 3 Thomas Lowry Grand jury — Robert Cosby Of Stradbally Hall Henry Charles White Of "Charleville", Roscrea Edmund Dease Co-opted — James Joseph Aird Auctioneer and merchant in Maryborough; father of William Aird. James Conroy

Results by district

+CoolrainLeinster Express, 15 April 1899; cited in Name Votes Notes Michael Fitzpatrick 186 Labourers' support E. Conroy 184 Catholic clergy support C. P. Hamilton 24

References