This article is from page 26 of the 2009-10-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
SEVEN former members of Clare County Council, with public repre- sentation records ranging from five years to 35 years, were honoured by the local authority they once served at Aras Contae An Chlair, last week.
Among those honoured were two former mayors, a former chairman, and some of the longest serving members of the council, all of whom served their last term from 2004 to PAU OL
Special tribute was paid to the
former north Clare county council- lor, Martin Lafferty (Ind) who re- tired from the council following an NU Baten
His former colleagues were de- lighted to see him back in the cham- ber, in good spirits and at the end of his treatment.
The Lisdoonvarna man was a former schoolteacher, and first ran for Clare County Council in 1974 as a Labour candidate.
While former Cllr Lafferty began his political career as a Labour coun- cillor, in 1999 he contested the elec-
tion as an independent candidate and topped the poll. He remained one of the most outspoken Independent councillors in the chamber up to his retirement earlier this year.
He was one of four councillors to retire at the last election, along with former mayors Madeleine ‘Taylor Quinn (FG) and Flan Garvey (FF), and one of the council’s most col- ourful characters former east Clare councillor Colm Wiley (FF).
The other three councillors to make the bittersweet return to meet their former Clare County Councillor’s
colleagues and council staff were Peter Considine (FF), Bernard Han- rahan (FF) and Tony O’Brien (FF). The three men, all Fianna Fail councillors were unsuccessful in an election that saw the annihilation of the main Government party in the county council election in Clare. Missing from the line up of former councillors from the 2004 to 2009 era was Kilrush Town Councillor Tom Prendeville (FF) who lost his county council seat in June and John ‘““Mashen” McInerney (FG) who also experienced the disappointment of
losing a seat.