Roscommon councillor to step down from role in coming months

Roscommon councillor Ivan Connaughton has announced that he will be stepping down from his role on the local authority in the coming months.

The Independent (ex-Fianna Fáil) representative from Athleague made the announcement in a Facebook post earlier this evening.

He wrote: "For a number of reasons, it is my intention to step down as a County Councillor in the coming months.

"It has been an honour for me to serve on Roscommon County Council since 2014, and in particular as Cathaoirleach, in 2019. I thank all who helped elect me at the last local elections in 2019 and those who supported me in previous elections.

"My driving force has always been to represent the interests of the people, and to work for the betterment of the County to the best of my ability, and I am very grateful for having been given the opportunities to do so.

"Although I am stepping down from elected office, I will continue to work to promote these objectives in any way I can in the coming years."

Cllr Connaughton said that he had put a structure in place that would result in his replacement being nominated for co-option onto the council.

He invited anyone interested in the position to contact him by phone (086 8985013) or email (ivanconnaughton14@gmail.com) by 5pm on Friday, April 9.

"I will forward all names to the committee who will oversee the interview process and nominate a suitable replacement," he said.

"When this process is complete, I will resign my seat on Roscommon County Council but I will assist and support my successor to ensure the people of the area continue to be represented effectively for the remainder of this council term."