John Paul Phelan, a TD for Carlow-Kilkenny and Minister of State for Local Government and Electoral Reform, will retire due to health issues before the next election.

John Paul Phelan, a Fine Gael TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, has announced his retirement from politics due to ongoing health issues. Phelan suffered a heart attack in 2020 and told his constituency AGM on Tuesday that he had not fully recovered and suffered from low energy levels. He informed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of his decision prior to the meeting. Phelan said he had “given politics everything” since his first election at the age of 20, and that it had been his “greatest honour” to serve the people of Carlow and Kilkenny. He also pledged to continue serving as a public representative, despite not running again in the next election. Phelan’s retirement marks the latest blow for Varadkar, with TDs Brendan Griffin and Joe McHugh also having announced they will not seek re-election.