Adrian Kavanagh, 20th February 2024
This post lists all of the City/County Councillors who will be retiring at the 2024 Local Elections – as opposed to the version of this post for 2014 elections, it will not list the names of Councillors who retired/stood down at an earlier date (and who had by that stage been replaced by a co-option from their party or grouping) as this information is covered in another post.
The version of this post used for the 2019 Local Elections may be found here.
As of now (10th May 2024), I can account for one hundred and six (11.2% of the number elected (949) in 2019) people in this group, but these numbers are likely to be added to in future weeks and months given that a number of party conventions have still to take place (which may prompt further decisions not to stand again on the part of some political party incumbents) and as more non-party incumbents make decisions on whether they will contest the local elections, or not.
Twenty nine of the retiring City and County Councillors listed here are female (27.4%) – 12.8% of the number of female Councillors elected at the 2014 Local Elections – and seventy seven of these are male (72.6%) – 10.7% of the number of male Councillors elected at the 2019 Local Elections.
A number of the Councillors, who are retiring, may well themselves have been co-options to replace former Councillors who had won election to Dáil/Seanad Éireann, or who had retired themselves during the lifetime of the Council. (These cases, if and when they arise, will be highlighted by a * in the list below.)
Some of the outgoing Councillors listed on this page had initially been selected to run in the June 2019 elections, but later made a decision to withdrew from the contest.
If you notice any errors or omissions in this list – if I am missing someone here that you know has officially confirmed their decision to retire or if I have “prematurely ended someone’s local politics career” – then please do bring these to my attention.
| Electoral Areas (166) | Retiring Councillors |
| Carlow | |
| Carlow | |
| Tullow | John Murphy FG |
| Muinebeag | |
| Cavan | |
| Bailieborough-Cootehill | |
| Ballyjamesduff | Craig Lovett FF |
| Cavan-Belturbert | Madeline Argue FG |
| Clare | |
| Ennis | Johnny Flynn FG, Ann Norton IND |
| Killaloe | |
| Shannon | Pat McMahon FF |
| Ennistymon | |
| Kilrush | PJ Kelly FF |
| Cork County | |
| Carrigaline | Michael Paul Murtagh* FG, Marcia D’Alton IND |
| Bandon-Kinsale | John O’Sullivan FG, Kevin Murphy FG |
| Macroom | |
| Cobh | Sean O’Connor IND, Alan O’Connor GP |
| Midleton | Susan McCarthy FG, Danielle Twomey IND (ex-SF) |
| Fermoy | |
| Kanturk | |
| Mallow | |
| Bantry-West Cork | |
| Skibbereen-West Cork | Paul Hayes IND (ex-SF) |
| Cork City | |
| Cork City North East | Ger Keohane IND |
| Cork City North West | |
| Cork City South Central | Mick Finn IND |
| Cork City South East | |
| Cork City South West | Derry Canty FG |
| Donegal | |
| Donegal | Tom Conaghan IND |
| Glenties | |
| Milford | |
| Buncrana | Nicholas Crossan IND, Rena Donaghey FF |
| Letterkenny | |
| Carndonagh | |
| Lifford-Stranorlar | Liam Doherty SF |
| Dublin City | |
| Ballyfermot-Drimnagh | |
| Ballymun-Finglas | |
| Artane-Whitehall | Patricia Roe SOCDEM, Alison Gilliland LAB |
| Donaghmede | |
| Cabra-Glasnevin | |
| Clontarf | |
| Kimmage-Rathmines | Anne Feeney FG |
| North Inner City | Deborah Byrne* LAB |
| South West Inner City | |
| South East Inner City | |
| Pembroke | Paddy McCartan FG, Claire O’Connor FF |
| Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown | |
| Blackrock | Mary Hanafin FF, Kate Feeney FF |
| Dún Laoghaire | Juliet O’Connell LAB, Dave Quinn SOCDEM |
| Dundrum | |
| Glencullen-Sandyford | |
| Killiney-Shankill | Denis O’Callaghan LB |
| Stillorgan | |
| Fingal County | |
| Balbriggan | |
| Rush Lusk | |
| Castleknock | |
| Howth-Malahide | |
| Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart | |
| Ongar | |
| Swords | |
| South Dublin County | |
| Clondalkin | Kenneth Egan FG |
| Palmerstown-Fonthill | |
| Lucan | |
| Tallaght Central | Charlie O’Connor FF |
| Tallaght South | |
| Rathfarnham-Templeogue | |
| Firhouse-Bohernabreena | |
| Galway City | |
| Galway City Central | Imelda Byrne* FF (??) |
| Galway City East | |
| Galway City West | |
| Galway County | |
| Athenry-Oranmore | Jim Cuddy IND |
| Gort Kinvara | Joe Byrne FG |
| Ballinasloe | |
| Conamara North | |
| Conamara South | |
| Loughrea | |
| Tuam | Colm Keaveney FF |
| Kerry | |
| Killarney | |
| Listowel | Robert Beasley SF, Aoife Thornton FF |
| An Daingean/Corca Dhuibhne | |
| Kenmare | Patrick O’Connor Scarteen FG, John Francis Flynn FF |
| Castleisland | |
| Tralee | Jim Finucane FG, Johnny Wall FF |
| Kildare | |
| Athy | |
| Celbridge | Ciara Galvin LAB, Michael Coleman FF |
| Leixlip | |
| Maynooth | |
| Clane | |
| Kildare | Anne Connolly FF |
| Newbridge | |
| Naas | |
| Kilkenny | |
| Castlecomer | |
| Kilkenny | |
| Callan-Thomastown | Patrick O’Neill FG, Matt Doran FF |
| Piltown | Eamon Aylward FF |
| Laois | |
| Borris in Ossory-Mountmellick | |
| Graiguecullen-Portarlington | |
| Portlaoise | |
| Leitrim | |
| Ballinamore | Caillian Ellis FF, Gerry Dolan IND |
| Carrick-on-Shannon | Finola Armstrong-McGuire FG, Thomas Mulligan FG |
| Manorhamilton | Frank Dolan FG, Seán McDermott FG |
| Limerick | |
| Limerick City East | |
| Limerick City North | |
| Limerick City West | James Collins FF |
| Adare-Rathkeale | Kevin Sheahan FF, Emmett O’Brien IND |
| Cappamore-Kilmallock | Gerald Mitchell FG, John Egan FG |
| Newcastle West | |
| Longford | |
| Ballymahon | |
| Granard | PJ Reilly FF |
| Longford | John Browne FG, Gerry Warnock IND |
| Louth | |
| Ardee | |
| Drogheda Urban | |
| Drogheda Rural | |
| Dundalk-Carlingford | Edel Corrigan SF |
| Dundalk-South | Liam Reilly FF, Tomás Sharkey SF |
| Mayo | |
| Ballina | Seamus Weir IND |
| Castlebar | |
| Claremorris | John Cribbin FG |
| Swinford | Michael Smyth FF |
| Belmullet | |
| Westport | |
| Meath | |
| Ashbourne | |
| Kells | |
| Laytown-Bettystown | |
| Navan | |
| Ratoath | Deirdre Geraghty Smith FF |
| Trim | |
| Monaghan | |
| Ballybay-Clones | |
| Carrickmacross-Castleblaney | |
| Monaghan | |
| Offaly | |
| Birr | Eamonn Dooley FF, John Carroll IND |
| Edenderry | John Foley IND |
| Tullamore | Danny Owens FF |
| Roscommon | |
| Athlone (Roscommon) | Donal Kilduff IND |
| Boyle | Joe Murphy FF, John Cummins FF, Michael Mulligan SF |
| Roscommon | Kathleen Shanagher IND, Orla Leyden FF |
| Sligo | |
| Ballymote-Tobercurry | Martin Baker FF |
| Sligo-Drumcliffe | |
| Sligo-Strandhill | Sinead Maguire SF, Rosaleen O’Grady FF |
| Tipperary | |
| Carrick-on-Suir | |
| Cahir | Micheál Anglim FF |
| Cashel-Tipperary | Michael Fitzgerald FG |
| Clonmel | |
| Nenagh | Gerard Darcy FG. Hughie McGrath IND |
| Newport | John “Rocky” McGrath IND |
| Roscrea-Templemore | Noel Coonan FG |
| Thurles | Seamus Hanafin FF |
| Waterford | |
| Waterford City East | |
| Waterford City South | |
| Tramore-Waterford City West | |
| Portlaw-Kilmacthomas | |
| Dungarvan | |
| Lismore | Mairéad Tobin* FF (???) |
| Westmeath | |
| Athlone (Westmeath) | |
| Moate | |
| Mullingar | |
| Kinnegad | Frank McDermott FG, John Shaw FF, Paddy Hill FF |
| Wexford | |
| Gorey | Diarmuid Devereux FG |
| Kilmuckridge | |
| Enniscorthy | Kathleen Codd Nolan FG |
| New Ross | |
| Rosslare | Jim Moore FG |
| Wexford | Maura Bell LAB, John Hegarty FG |
| Wicklow | |
| Arklow | |
| Baltinglass | Vincent Blake FG |
| Bray East | |
| Bray West | Rory O’Connor IND |
| Greystones | Gerry Walsh FF, Derek Mitchell FG |
| Wicklow | Shay Cullen FG, Irene Winters FG |
This post will be regularly updated up to County and City Council election contests in June as, and when, more retirements are announced and/or when I become aware of these.
Irish Elections: Geography, Facts and Analyses 