Monaghan Councillor Mary Kerr-Conlon has announced her retirement from politics.
The Fine Gael representative for the Carrickmacross-Castleblayney Municipal District served 25 years of public service.
Cllr Kerr-Conlon will officially step down at the end of today's monthly meeting of Monaghan County Council, and her successor will be co-opted.
Elected to the council in the 2019 Local Elections, she had previously served on Carrickmacross Town Council for 22 years, from 1992 to 2014.
In announcing her decision, Mary Kerr-Conlon said she enjoyed every moment of working for and on behalf of the people of the county.
She thanked her elected colleagues as well as local authority staff who had supported her and her work.
County Council Cathaoirleach and party colleague, Aidan Campbell, described her as a dedicated and loyal Fine Gael woman" who has made her community "better and stronger".
Pat Treanor described her as a "brave and courageous woman", while Noel Keelan said she was a "legendary figure around Carrickmacross".
In a statement to Northern Sound News, Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar said "Mary put her heart and soul into representing the people of Carrickmacross and worked tirelessly on behalf of the community she represented for 25 years".
