Tributes are being paid to Shannon Councillor Patricia McCarthy, who has announced a surprise retirement from local politics.
The Independent representative has been an elected official for 35 years, and is the only female member of Clare County Council.
A former Mayor of Clare, and Mayor of Shannon, Patricia McCarthy was first elected to Clare County Council in 1979, and to Shannon Town Council three years later when it was founded.
However, seven weeks before the next local elections, she says the time is now right to bow out of politics.
Speaking on Clare FM's Morning Focus, she said she came to the decision after consluting with her family and with supporters, and she reflected on a career which has seen her represent a much-changed Shannon town.
While significant from a personal point of view, Councillor McCarthy's retirement is also symbolic in that she is the only current female member of Clare County Council.
There are 11 other women serving as Town Councillors in Clare at present, but with the Municipal authorities being wound up next month, she says the potential lack of a female voice is of concern.
Tributes have been paid to Patricia McCarthy in light of her retirement.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Joe Arkins says her contribution to the county has been "immense."
And while Mayor of Shannon Greg Duff has acknowledged differences between the pair over the years, he says he admires her ability as a mentor, and a politician.
