After a 30 year career in national politics and as the Dáil TD for Galway East, Fianna Fáil’s Noel Treacy this week announced his retirement from politics.
On Tuesday Dep Treacy announced that he would not be contesting the party’s Galway East selection convention in The Temperance Hall, Loughrea, on Sunday, despite being nominated to stand. In a statement he said he was “medically unfit to contest the upcoming general election”.
The Athenry based TD has been under medical care for the past year. He underwent surgery last summer and commenced treatment earlier this month. His therapy will continue throughout February and into March.
After detailed discussions with his medical team, he has been advised that he cannot fight a general election campaign during his treatment. This has forced him to withdraw from this weekend’s convention.
“I do this with a great sense of regret and reluctance as all of the expectations were that the general election would not happen before 2012,” he said. “I was looking forward to being fully fit by then.
“It would be unfair to the Fianna Fáil party who have consistently nominated me, and the people of Galway East who have consistently elected me for three decades, to enter an election campaign in which I could not actively participate on a daily basis.
Dep Treacy said he wishes to “sincerely thank all of the officers, members, and supporters of Fianna Fáil throughout Galway East for their steadfast loyalty to me, during 10 different elections.”
Dep Treacy has been a member of FF since 1969 when he joined the party as a 17-year-old. His emergence into national politics came in 1982 when he was chosen as the Fianna Fáil candidate for Galway East following the sudden death of then TD Johnny Callanan.
The by-election was held on July 20 1982 and Dep Treacy topped the poll with 16,337 votes and took the seat on the first count.
Dáil Éireann re-convened in October 1982 but only lasted a week, as a general election was called For November 24. Dep Treacy was re-elected, but Fianna Fáil lost office. He has been re-elected in all subsequent general elections between 1987 and 2007.
