Great survivor of Irish politics to step down

Fine Gael Oireachtas party chairman Dan Neville TD, who has announced that he will not seek re-election to the next Dáil, can claim to be the greatest survivor in Irish politics.

While many politicians have had close calls over the years, Mr Neville held on to his seat in West Limerick in 2002 by a single vote. He said: “It was as close a call as a politician could get.”

His Fine Gael running mate Michael Finucane lost out by that solitary vote.