Deputy Phelan has cited health reasons as the reason
Fine Gael TD for Carlow-Kilkenny John Paul Phelan has announced that he will not stand in the next General Election, citing health reasons.
He suffered a heart attack in 2020 and has yet to fully recover from the medical event.
In a statement issued on Tuesday night, he said: “Almost three years ago, at the height of the pandemic, it nearly all came to an end for me. Very few people get a second chance. I’ve gotten one. I’ve been one of the lucky few.
“Once I regained consciousness that day a doctor asked about my work, lifestyle and the need to remove stress from my life and change how I lived.
"When I told him my job we both laughed. In reality that prognosis has not changed. As a result I have decided not to seek the Fine Gael nomination to contest the next General Election.
“Politics is a job that demands absolute commitment, 24/7. I have given politics everything since I was first elected to Kilkenny County Council at the age of 20 and still a student. It has been my greatest honour to serve the people of Carlow and Kilkenny for the last 24 years as a councillor, senator, TD and junior minister.
“I have always given everything to my role as a public representative. And while I won’t be putting my name forward for the next general election, I want to reassure the women and men who put their trust and faith in me that I am not disappearing from political life.
“My mandate to be a voice for the people of Carlow and Kilkenny is one which I will continue to serve.
"I will work as hard as ever for the remainder of this Dáil term, serving all of my constituents, all of the time. There is unfinished business and I will continue to deliver for this constituency," he added.
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