Sister of Paul Lawless to replace Aontú TD on Mayo County Council

DEIRDRE Lawless, a sister of newly-elected Aontú TD Paul Lawless, has been selected to replace him on Mayo County Council. 

Deputy Lawless became one of the shortest-serving councillors in the history of Mayo County Council when he was elected to Dáil Éireann months after winning a council seat in the June elections. 

Due to the abolition of the dual mandate, Deputy Lawless ceased to be a councillor as soon as he was elected to the Dáil. 

His sister, who is a secondary school teacher based in Claregalway, was selected by Aontú party members to replace him on the council. Two other candidates were also in the running for Deputy Lawless’s old seat - Deputy Lawless himself abstained from the vote. 

A special meeting of Mayo County Council is due to be convened for the sitting councillors to ratify Ms Lawless. 

Ms Lawless will be the first councillor to be co-opted to Mayo County Council since Cllr Adrian Forkan (Fianna Fáil) replaced Michael Smyth after he retired from politics while a sitting councillor in 2021. 

She will be Aontú’s first female elected representative to serve in Mayo and will bring the total number of female councillors in Áras an Chontae to four. Ms Lawless will also be just the second woman to serve as a councillor in the Claremorris Local Electoral Area.

She is a past pupil of Knock National School, Loughanemon Gaelscoil and Mount Saint Michael Secondary School in Claremorris.

Deputy Paul Lawless expressed his confidence in her appointment, saying; “Deirdre is a force to be reckoned with—a committed, well-organised leader with a get-it-done attitude. As a seasoned teacher and a proud Gaeilgeoir, she has a deep love for the Irish language, music, and culture. She will bring a restless enthusiasm to her new role.”

“I’m also delighted that her selection brings another strong female voice to Mayo County Council, increasing the number of female councillors in the county from three to four. It’s particularly significant that the Claremorris LEA now has two women out of its six councillors, showing progress in representation. An LEA that never had a female councillor six months ago now has two,” he added.  

Deirdre Lawless said: “It’s an honour to step into this role and work hard for the people of the Claremorris Local Electoral Area. I’ve stood alongside Paul on countless initiatives, from the cataract bus campaign to grassroots community efforts. This is an exciting new chapter for Aontú in Mayo, as we now have the foundations of a constituency office in Claremorris, where I will work closely with our TD and staff to deliver for the people of Mayo. I’m eager to sit down with my fellow councillors and hit the ground running—there’s a lot to do, and I’m ready to get started.”