'An extremely good friend,' Tributes paid to former County Councillor Joe Bourke

Tributes were paid to the late Joe Bourke, formerly of the Tipperary County Council, by past and present Tipperary County Councillors at a special meeting held this morning.

The meeting was held in the Tipperary County Council’s Templemore office, at the heart of the town that Joe once served during his time on the Council.

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Joining the County Councillors for the meeting were former councillors Noel Coonan, John Hogan, and Seamus Hanafin.

Cathaoirleach Michael Smith opened the meeting by mentioning how much the town of Templemore meant to Joe, before passing to Noel Coonan.

He spoke of how close he was with Joe, both within and outside of politics, saying: “He was a man who wasn’t afraid to take on anything.”

He spoke of how strong a character Joe was, talking about how well he raised his three children following the untimely passing of his wife, saying he was “very much a family man.”

He reminisced on a recent trip both took to the Dáil, where they both met with Tánaiste Simon Harris, and how much Joe enjoyed his day out in Dublin.

John Hogan spoke of how good a friend Joe was to him, talking about how he had known Joe for many years before he ventured into politics, saying: “If I was to think of one word to sum him up: loyal.”

He spoke of how Joe never wanted to be seen in the spotlight for carrying out his duties as a Councillor, saying: “He never wanted any recognition, he didn’t like it, he just wanted to get the work done.”

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He talked of how Joe was never afraid of any pushback with the work he was carrying out, citing an example in which he oversaw the removal of the swimming pool from Templemore town park, which many in the town were against for their own reasons, but Joe carried out his duties for the greater good of the town.

Cllr Eddie Moloney spoke of how he had spent many years doing business with Joe, and that the two got on very well and faced no issues during their time working together.

Cllr Sean Ryan talked highly of Joe, saying: “ He was always an extremely good friend,” reminiscing on meeting Joe while both were doing their shopping back in November, and how they stopped up to have a chat for a while, expressing his sadness on how he did not realise at the time it would be his last time meeting Joe.

He spoke of his prowess within the Council, saying: “If he had an issue to bring up, he certainly brought it up.”

Cllr Peggy Ryan said that, although she had not spent much time with Joe, he left a lasting impression, saying that he was: “loyal, humble, decent, and someone with so much integrity.”

Cllr Willie Kennedy told an anecdote about a conversation he once had with Joe, which echoed the sentiments with John Hogan earlier, about how Joe preferred to remain out of the limelight in favour of getting his work done.

He said that Joe told him: “I’m not big into this publicity thing at all. I’d prefer to be doing things in the background.”

Seamus Hanafin spoke of Joe as a businessman, saying: “As a businessman, he was never afraid to make tough decisions, and brave decisions.”

Speaking of Joe personally, he said: “He was friends with everyone in the room, and everyone got on with him.”

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Echoing these sentiments, Cllr Jim Ryan said: “He was one of those guys that, even if you didn’t know him, you got to know him very quickly.”

Cllr Shane Lee gave testament to his character, saying: “He was humble. He was a chap that was very bubbly.”

Cllr Kay Cahill Skehan offered her sympathies to the family at this sad time.

Cllr Micheál Lowry spoke of Joe’s wit and humour, saying: “He could cut you, or he could compliment you, using the same sentence,” and mentioned his time serving as Leas Cathaoirleach under Joe as Cathaoirleach, where he said Joe made sure he fulfilled his duties to the highest standard.

Cathaoirleach Michael Smith concluded the meeting by attesting to the comments made by those present, and praising the work that Joe had done around the town throughout his tenure as a County Councillor.