FORMER Mayor of Limerick, Dick Sadlier, who was laid to rest today, Wednesday, March 20, was remembered in City Hall this week as “one of the best mayors Limerick ever had”.
Mayor of Limerick City and County, Cllr James Collins offered his condolences, and those of the citizens of Limerick, to the family of former Mayor Dick Sadlier, who passed away on Monday.
Sadlier was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats and was first elected to Limerick City Council in Ward 4 in 1991. He was re-elected to Limerick City Council in 1999, this time as a Fianna Fáil member but lost his seat at the 2004 local elections. The former pupil of CBS Sexton Street was Mayor of Limerick three times in 1994-95, 2001-02 and 2003-04.
“I was very saddened to hear of the death of my party colleague Dick Sadlier, following a short illness. I would like to offer my sympathies and the sympathies of the people of Limerick to Dick’s wife Mary, son Eoghan and daughter Aoife and the rest of Dick’s family,” Mayor Collins said.
“Dick was passionate about Limerick and always worked for the betterment of the city. He lectured in Business Studies in Limerick Institute of Technology and was at the forefront of some of the urban renewal projects in the city in the mid-1990s.”
Dick Sadlier was laid to rest on Wednesday in Kilmurry Cemetery following requiem mass in Mary Magdalene Church in Monaleen. As a mark of respect, the Irish flag flew at half-mast at the Merchant’s Quay and Dooradoyle offices of Limerick City and County Council.
Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin also expressed his sadness following the death of the former Fianna Fáil councillor and Mayor of Limerick City.
“Dick was a proud Limerick man and played an integral role on Limerick City Council. He has been lauded by his colleagues as a great orator and organiser – if you wanted something done you could ask Dick,” he said.
At this Monday’s Metropolitan District meeting in City Hall, the former mayor was remembered with much fondness.
Fianna Fáil councillor Kieran O’Hanlon, who was first elected to the local authority for the first time with Sadlier in 1991, remembered his former colleague and friend as “one of the best mayor’s Limerick ever had”. He went on to describe Dick as a “committed family man” and a “stand-up guy”.
“You could always be very proud of how he represented Limerick City and County. He always did the right thing for Limerick. He was one of our best,” Cllr O’Hanlon commented.
Fine Gael councillor Michael Hourigan also paid tribute.
“Limerick was getting a lot of negative press at the time during his mayoralty but no matter what happened you could always rely on Dick to do a wonderful job. He also had a great understanding of the business community,” he recalled.
Labour Party councillor Joe Leddin remembered Dick Sadlier as a man “who wanted to do good for the city and county”.
“He was very articulate. He was one of the best mayors we ever had. You never cringed when he got up to make a speech. He had a great wit and intelligence.”
