Veteran politician and a former Lord Mayor of Dublin Independent councillor Christy Burke is not going to run for election in the upcoming general election.
The Dublin north inner city councillor, who has been elected continuously for 39 years, Burke was first elected to the City Council for Sinn Féin in 1985 but left the party in 2009.
The 75-year-old is originally from the tenements on Lurgan Street and served a prison sentence for IRA membership in the 1970s.
He was subsequently jailed in 1986 alongside the late Independent TD Tony Gregory for 14 days for campaigning on behalf of Moore Street traders. He served as Lord Mayor of Dublin between 2014 and 2015.
In a statement, Cllr Burke explained that he had “initially considered” running after his successful local elections in June last but has now decided against it.
He continued: “With transfers being highly fragmented, it would be difficult to rely on them to secure a result.
“I have dedicated over 40 years to serving the political needs of my constituency and will continue to represent the communities that elected me.”
The outspoken councillor extended his best wishes to all the candidates in the upcoming election.
Cllr Burke added: “As for me, I’ll be observing this election from the sidelines and will not be making any further comment at this time”.
