One of Ireland’s longest serving county councillors, Michael "Stroke" Fahy, has died.
The Ardrahan-based local representative successfully defended his seat on Galway County Council over almost four decades and was due to contest next month's elections in the Gort/Kinvara area.
During his lengthy career, he emphasised the need for local and national government to serve the needs of his constituents.
He was a vocal advocate for flood relief measures, in the aftermath of a number of serious weather related issues across south Galway in recent years.
Mindful of the need to bring the issue to international attention, Mr Fahy wrote to Pope Francis in 2016, requesting that the Pontiff pray for those impacted by flooding in the region.
Mr Fahy contested the last General Election in the Galway East constituency as an independent candidate.
He previously ran for election to the Dáil in 1987, as a Fianna Fáil candidate.
In 2007 he served time in prison for fraud but his conviction was subsequently quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
Councillor Fahy had served more than seven months in jail before his original conviction was overturned.
After serving as an elected representative for the party for over 25 years, he parted company with Fianna Fáil in the mid 2000s, but he was accepted back into the party late last year.
In January, he was selected as one of four Fianna Fáil candidates to run in the Gort/Kinvara area.
