Limerick's longest serving councillor announces retirement from politics
THE LONGEST serving council member in Limerick has this Friday confirmed he will not contest the next local elections.
Askeaton man and Fianna Fail councillor Kevin Sheahan, did not put his name forward for selection for the Adare-Rathkeale constituency, with the local elections set for May 2024.
Now, he has confirmed to LimerickLive he is stepping away from representative politics, bringing the curtain down on a political career which stretches back to 1985.
"I'm nearly 40 years at this. Nobody gives that kind of service. I'm 77 years of age this week. People have told me they didn't think I was that age. But I need to get a bit of retirement in before I go to the next world," he said, "I'm not leaving for any negative reason. I'm leaving as I believe it's the right thing to do at this time. For me, my area, to bring in fresh blood."
Councillor Sheahan says he will remain an "activist" on the ground in his community.
"There are a lot of things I have on my agenda to achieve, I'm not finished," he said.
Asked if he would ever consider running as an Independent, he added: "No, we have enough of those!"
A former special branch garda, Cllr Sheahan had a long career in the force, among many things protecting the late Limerick TD and Progressive Democrats founder Desmond O'Malley when there was a credible threat to his life from the Provisional IRA.
He entered the political arena upon his retirement in 1985, where he was elected to the Rathkeale district of the former Limerick County Council.
The often-outspoken councillor retained his seat at the 1991, 1999, 2004 and 2009 local elections.
Then following his re-election to the newly created Adare-Rathkeale area in 2014, he made history by becoming the first chairman of Limerick City and County following the merger of the old City Council and County Council. It was a title later upgraded to Mayor.
He retained his seat in 2019, but has now decided to call it a day.
Fellow Adare/Rathkeale councillor Emmett O'Brien, who now sits as an Independent, but sat on the Fianna Fail national executive previously, said he will miss his colleague.
"He has given dedicated service to council over the last 38 years and while my political relationship with Kevin waxed and waned over the years, I would consider him a close friend. He was an extraordinary well-meaning and decent Mayor of Limerick who represented Limerick very well. Our campaigns against each other in the local elections were honourable. I'm really going to miss him when I run again for my third election as an Independent councillor," Cllr O'Brien said.