Seán Haughey announces he won't contest the next General Election

The son of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey, Sean Haughey first entered the Oireachtas in 1987.

Fianna Fáil TD Sean Haughey has confirmed he will not contest the next General Election. File Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey has announced that he will not contest the next general election.

Mr Haughey, the son of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey, represented Dublin Bay North.

In a statement issued this evening, he said, "This evening I informed the Fianna Fáil organisation in Dublin Bay North of my decision not to contest the next General Election.

“Having devoted all my adult life to public service, I have come to the view that now is the right time for me to step down from frontline politics."

Mr Haughey first entered the Oireachtas in 1987, serving a senator until his election as a TD in 1992. He remained in that post until 2011, when he lost his seat, before regaining it in 2016.

During his time in the Dáil, Mr Haughey served as a Minister for State, taking up roles in education and science, as well as enterprise, trade and innovation.

“I am extremely grateful to my constituents for their loyal support down through the years and wish to thank them for the trust they placed in me to be their representative in Dáil Éireann,” Mr Haughey said.

“Over the course of my time in politics, I found it enormously fulfilling to be able to give advice and assistance to hundreds of individuals, groups, and organisations in helping them secure the benefits and services to which they were entitled.

“I am also proud that I could carry on a family tradition of public service in the constituency dating right back to the 1950s.”

Paying tribute to the outgoing TD, Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said that Mr Haughey was a "man of great integrity".

"He possesses a deep understanding of the weight of the responsibility entrusted upon him and his dedication to serving his community has been unwavering."