FORMER Mayor of Limerick and proud Janesboro man, Ger Fahy, who passed away last week, was remembered by councillors for his legacy of dedication to his community.
Mr Fahy, who served as the 811th Mayor of Limerick, was first elected to Limerick City Council in 1985 and re-elected in 1999 and 2004.
He was elected mayor in 2007, a role he considered the highlight of his political career.
The Fine Gael councillor retired from politics after almost three decades of dedicated service to the community in 2014. Taoiseach Simon Harris lead tributes to Fahy last week, offering his condolences to Gerard’s family and friends.
“He was an exceptional colleague and was so loyal and committed to the communities he served in Limerick,” the Taoiseach said.
“The pinnacle of his career was serving as Mayor of Limerick. He often told how he was first at the desk at 7am and home after midnight with a bag of chips. It was the highlight of his career.”
Ahead of Fahy’s funeral at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church this past Saturday, Príomh Chomhairleoir of Limerick City and County Council Cllr Dan McSweeney (FG) called a special meeting to pass a vote of sympathy on the passing of the Marian Avenue native.
A former CBS Sexton Street student and manager of The Spotted Dog public house in Janesboro, Ger’s unwavering dedication to public service was evident as Council members paid their last respects.
Neighbour and young apprentice to the Fine Gael stalwart, Cllr Sarah Kiely (FG) remembered Ger with great fondness and said she would be forever grateful for having him in her life.
“I first met Ger when I was 15. I started working in The Spotted Dog, where he often held his clinics. He thought me how to pull my first pint of Guinness. He was very good to me when I was a shy 15-year-old. He took me under his wing,” Cllr Kiely told her Council colleagues.
Mr Fahy, she continued, was great with people, and, as well as being very wise, was very kind.
“He went about his businesses very quietly, both politically and personally. If you wanted something done nice and quietly, Ger was the man for the job, and he always got the job done. He always delivered for our community, and he was a joy to watch.”
Cllr Daniel Butler (FG) described the late Mr Fahy as “Mr Janesboro”.
“My memories are when I was a young man going out canvassing for general elections and, if you went into the Janesboro area, you had to go in via Ger, because he was Mr Janesboro. He was a man of absolute integrity, a real honest man, a real gentleman,” Cllr Butler recalled.
Labour councillor Joe Leddin said he owed a lot of gratitude to the much-loved former first citizen.
“Ger formally proposed me as Mayor of Limerick in June 2006, despite the fact that there was three other Labour councillors in the chamber, so I owe a lot to Ger,” Cllr Leddin said.
“Ger loved being a councillor. He was passionate about his community and everyone in the community. He had this unique ability, which is very difficult in politics, to be respected right across the political divide. Whether you were in a party or independent, people had respect for Ger because Ger was someone who wanted to get things done”.
Ger Fahy was laid to rest this past Saturday in Mount St Oliver Cemetery.
He is predeceased by his wife Maura and parents Gerard and May. He will be sadly missed by his loving family, brothers Eugene, Dermot and Michael, sisters Geraldine (Sadlier), Rita (Wallace) and Caroline (Hudner), brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, relatives, great neighbours and a wide circle of friends.
