Long-serving Mayo councillor will not contest local elections
Then Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council Cllr Seamus Weir pictured with President Mary Robinson at Ballina Heritage Day in 2022.
The Cathaoirleach of Ballina Municipal District, Independent councillor, Seamus Weir has announced he will not be contesting next June's local election.
The Knockmore-based representative, who was first elected to Mayo County Council in 1999 as a Fine Gael candidate, said he reached the decision following long and careful consideration.
The 71-year-old enjoyed a distinguished Gaelic football career with Mayo and Knockmore before successfully entering political life as a Fine Gael councillor in the Ballina electoral area over 25 years ago.
He was re-elected in the 2004 and 2009 local elections but he resigned from Fine Gael in 2013 when he fell out with the party over its support for a plan by EirGrid to build a series of overhead pylons in Knockmore and surrounding north Mayo communities as part of a major investment in the electricity network.
Cllr Weir was vindicated in his decision as an agreement was reached to install the lines underground rather than via overhead pylons.
In the 2014 local elections, he comfortably retained his seat when he ran as an independent for the first time and he was also returned to office in the 2019 local election.
During his time in office, he served as Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council twice and has served as the Cathaoirleach of Ballina Municipal District on three occasions.
