"My Father's Lessons Guided Me" Says Councillor Pat McMahon As He Announces Retirement From Politics

A retiring Newmarket-on-Fergus councillor believes lessons his father instilled in him served him well throughout his lengthy political career. Councillor Pat McMahon, aged 78, has announced that he won't run in the upcoming local elections, after having held his seat on the council for 48 years. The Fianna Fáil representative, who served as Mayor of Clare twice and Cathaoirleach of Shannon Municipal District once, set out on his journey in politics in the 1970s, after his father Andy, who himself was a councillor for thirty years, passed away suddenly. Councillor McMahon says the attention his father showed to people in need inspired him to serve his constituents to the best of his ability.