An Athlone councillor has announced he will run for the Longford-Westmeath constituency in the General Election.
Independent councillor Paul Hogan was first elected to the council in 2004 at the age of 21 and had the distinction of being the youngest Mayor of Athlone.
In addition to his involvement in local politics, Hogan is also a Social Care lecturer at the Technological University of the Shannon.
Among other aims in his campaign, the councillor has pledged to fight for better support for medium-sized enterprises, and to extend the 9% VAT rate for businesses.
Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who is endorsing the councillor, praised him for his commitment to local communities: