Fine Gael councillor Aoife Thornton will not contest the next local elections.
The Lixnaw woman was first elected to Kerry County Council in 2014.
She says she’ll remain in her role on the council until the elections take place.
Fine Gael councillor Aoife Thornton topped the poll in the 2019 local elections, receiving over 2,500 first preference votes.
She says deciding not to contest the local elections was a very difficult decision to make.
However, she says it’s for family reasons, adding it’s hard to marry life as a Kerry County Councillor and being a mother of three children.
During her time in Kerry County Council, Cllr Thornton served as Cathaoirleach as the Listowel Municipal District on numerous occasions.
She served on Kerry County Council for ten years; she was also put forward for convention for the General Election for Fine Gael in 2018, but she withdrew her name citing family commitments at the time.
Cllr Thornton, who is a solicitor by trade, says she’ll continue to work on behalf of her constituents until the local elections take place; they are expected to be held in early June.
