Peter Fitzpatrick, the independent TD for Louth, has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming Dáil election. He’s the third TD from the five-member constituency to state their intention to retire, following former Fine Gael party member Fergus O’Dowd and Sinn Féin’s Imelda Munster.
Fitzpatrick, in a statement released on Friday, expressed it has been an “honour and a privilege” to serve as the representative for his hometown Dundalk, County Louth, and East-Meath in the Dáil since 2011. However, he stated he believes now is an appropriate time to search for new ventures and possibilities.
He also voiced his pride in his efforts to shape a more empathetic and humanitarian Ireland. One of his seminal campaigns included objecting to the legalisation of abortion in Ireland, which he passionately felt strongly about.
Aged 62, Fitzpatrick, formerly the manager of the Louth football team, initially won his seat in 2011 as a member of the Fine Gael party. In 2018, he quit the party due to disagreements over the repeal of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. Despite this, he stated that he was honoured to have been elected to the Dáil thrice and saw retaining his seat in 2020 as an independent as a noteworthy achievement. In his statement, he expressed gratitude to the members of the Regional Group of TDs for their support.
With Fitzpatrick’s decision, Ruairí Ó Murchú from Sinn Féin and Labour’s Ged Nash are the remaining two TDs potentially up for re-election in the five-seat constituency.