'Absolutely no way' family of retiring Laois councillor not interested in role

No replacement has yet been announced for a retiring Fine Gael Laois councillor who has taken early retirement.

Two people who seem to have definitely put themselves out of the running, are the children of Cllr Mary Sweeney who  represented the Portlaoise Municipal District.

Cllr Sweeney says that neither her daughter Aoife nor son Conor are interested in being co-opted to fill her shoes until the next local election.

Below: Cathaoirleach Cllr Conor Bergin, Mary Sweeney and Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald.

"I did give them the offer of taking it over but they said absolutely no way," she said.

Cllr Sweeney from Ballyroan served for 22 years, most recently winning a seat in the 2019 local election. She announced her early retirement last September.

Last week she had attended the Portlaoise Municipal District meeting to say goodbye to her own area colleagues, and on Monday December 13 it was the turn of the full council to say a formal goodbye and wish her well in person.

CEO John Mulholland praised her as a genial person who had outstanding courtesy, with a calming presence, judgement, experience and knowledge.

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"You will leave a lot of friends behind here Mary, both members and staff and I think you will cherish that forever, in your work in promoting Laois and as a member of staff previously. 

"You have striven at all opportunities to improve the quality of life in Laois; libraries, culture, housing, infrastructure," he said.

He said she played a huge role in developing the county in her year as Cathaoirleach, wishing her happiness ahead with her family.

Cllr Sweeney thanked all who had supported her over the years. 

"I would like to thank the Fine Gael party, my Fine Gael colleagues, past and present and Deputy Flanagan and his team for their friendship and advice during my time in politics. I had the honour of contesting five elections and canvassing across many more and it is a wonderful experience to put your name forward and to be acknowledged by the electorate for the work you do on their behalf.

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"It wouldn’t be a Council meeting if I didn’t take the opportunity to mention my own village of Ballyroan where they have backed me all the way through the years. I have had equally great support from people across the Portlaoise electoral area and indeed across the county, no more so than during my time representing Laois as Cathaoirleach in 2013/2014. 

"Outside of the Chamber, I was truly honoured to Chair and sit on boards of excellent bodies including the LOETB, the Dunamaise Arts Centre and the Portlaoise Enterprise Centre. My participation and contribution to those boards reflected my own interest in education, enterprise and the Arts. I was very lucky to have represented this council in areas that I am deeply passionate about. It reminded me of the quote that “Knowledge can fill up a room but take up no space”

"I reiterate my support, as a former staff member of Laois County Library Service, for the construction of the new library on Main Street. That, along with other cultural, sporting, educational and heritage projects within the county will be our legacy to hand over to the next generation to nurture," she said. 

She thanked her family and community, hoping for a singsong to follow with councillors in the family pub in Ballyroan.

"It is the end of an era for my family in Ballyroan. I have had incredible support from them throughout the years and none more so when I decided to retire. It wouldn’t have been possible to do this without my family and friends. I want to thank Conor and Aoife, who in their own lives have been able to enjoy politics and political life, but as we step back,we look forward to the next chapter. We are living in unusual and unpredictable times, but in more certain times, I look forward to inviting you all to the village for a rendition of the Sky’s Oer Ballyroan," Mary Sweeney ended.