Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire decides not to contest next election

She has served as a councillor since 2014 and now after ten years Carrick-on-Shannon based Councillor, Finola Armstrong-McGuire has announced that she does not intend to contest the 2024 local elections.
Cllr Armstrong-McGuire was elected at her first attempt to Leitrim County Council in May 2014 and was subsequently re-elected in 2019.
During her term, Cllr Armstrong McGuire served as chair of the Municipal District twice and was appointed to the HSE public reps’ body and served as Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council during the 2017-2018 term of the local authority.
Speaking to the Leitrim Observer this week, she said that as a business person in the town, she had been asked if she had an interest in becoming a councillor and when she heard the seat was coming up for selection, she decided to put her name into the hat.
The owner of The Magnet on Main Street, which does general drapery and school uniforms said, “I had my children reared and I felt it was a good time to take the step. I had been involved in retail in Carrick for 30 years and had seen the recession and feared for the future of the town.
“I had an interest in the field that is now the new car park in the town and had been driving that as a business person before I became a councillor.”
Speaking of her ten years as a councillor, the mother-of-four said she was “very happy to have been given the role for ten years.”
She added that she felt, “your private life takes a bit of a back seat when you are in such a role; you are never out of the public eye and what you do is open for comment by some.”
However, she stressed, “I'm delighted to have done it and if I were ten years younger I might consider continuing. The people around me, and that I went to school with, are retiring and I have to give that thought.
“Family life is important and you can take your time out when your family are in their twenties and then they might need you a bit more when they are in their mid-thirties when they have families,” she added.
She said that as she continues to run her business, “that may be too much going forward; running the two things to the standard that we need to do them to, I need to take that step back.”
Finola said that during the years her family and friends have shown unwavering support .
“I got to know a lot of things through the council and committees that I would never have known. I hope that someone comes forward and asks for consideration and has a Fine Gael-thinking background.
“They don't have to be members but would need to declare an interest in the party's policies; someone who has energy and can give their time and has another role in life too.
“Hopefully we will get a good representative in the community and in the Carrick/Mohill municipal area,” she said.
Cllr Armstrong-McGuire said she would like to see another woman fill the role if possible.
“I would like to see more balance in the room when you go to meetings. Maybe if it doesn't happen in the Carrick area, it might be elsewhere.
“There are three women amongst the 18 councillors and that needs to be at least maintained. Certainly, I felt it was a fair field to play on as a woman and I never ever felt otherwise. I felt we were all in it together and trying to pull together.”
Cllr Armstrong-McGuire has been involved with Carrick-on-Shannon Tidy Towns for many years and said her work with the group will continue. “It's one of the things I will certainly get back to,” she said.
In a statement issued after her announcement, Deputy Frank Feighan paid a warm tribute to the work of Cllr Armstrong-McGuire remarking that “the growth of Carrick and its hinterland was testament to Finola’s hard work in lobbying for strategic investment for the County town.”
“Carrick-on-Shannon is one of the most vibrant towns in the North West region and is one of the most appealing to live in, visit and holiday; the work of the tidy towns has enhanced its business potential.
“The involvement of Finola and her husband Paschal in many of the initiatives to present the town in such a positive manner has made a huge impact,” suggested Deputy Feighan.
“On a personal note, I wish to thank Finola for her personal support for me as a TD in this constituency in particular since the 2020 general election.
“As a team we worked on some good projects for the Carrick area including funding for many projects including the Market Yard development, Carrick public realm, the purchase by Leitrim County Council of the Bank of America building and the development of the Carrick Campus, to name but a few.
“Cllr Armstrong-McGuire can look forward to retirement next year knowing that her 10 years of public service and representation for the people of Carrick-on-Shannon has left a positive legacy,” concluded Deputy Feighan.