Paula Butterly has been a councillor for the Mid Louth area since 2021.

She is a qualified barrister and comes from a farming background.

In her early career, she lived in Italy for twenty years. She returned home in 2016 and studied law.

She served as chair of Ardee Municipal District for a year and was elected chairperson of Louth County Council in 2023. Politics has been in her family, with a grandfather, uncle and cousin involved in politics in the past.

Among her priorities are farming and rural communities, including protecting rural businesses and farms and sustaining jobs.

Butterly also wants to see more school places, improved school transport, and additional supports for children who have special needs.

Throughout each count of this election, she outpolled her fellow Fine Gael candidate John McGahon, who was a controversial candidate due to his role in a pub assault in 2018.