TD for Cavan and Monaghan Dr. Rory O'Hanlon has announced that he will not contest in the next general election.

He was first elected to Dail Eireann in 1977 and has been working for Fianna Fail Cavan Monaghan and has spent thirty years in a variety of governmental roles.In 1977 Dr. Rory O' Hanlon was elected to Dail Eireann for the constituency of Cavan Monaghan. He has been elected at each election since.

He  was Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Welfare in 1982 and after the election in November 1982 he was appointed Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Health and remained in the position until 1987.
From then, he served in Cabinet as Minister for Health before being appointed Minister for the Environment in 1991.

In 1995, Dr. O'Hanlon was appointed as Chairman of the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party and remained in the position until 2002.

In 2002, he was nominated Ceann Comhairle of Dail Eireann by the then Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern he remained in this position until 2007.

Dr. O'Hanlon is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and sits on the Health Committee and the British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body.