Glowing tributes paid to the late Tipperary County Councillor, John Fahey

Glowing tributes have been paid to the late Tipperary County Councillor, father, husband, Irish language enthusiast, and dedicated community worker John Fahey, who was laid to rest today in his native Killenaule.

A special meeting of Tipperary County Council was convened in John’s beloved Scoil Ruain, Killenaule, of which he served as a Board Member, followed by Funeral Mass in St Mary's Church, Killenaule, and Burial afterwards in Crosscannon Cemetery.

Cllr Fahey died in the loving care of his family and the staff of St. Brigid's Hospital, Carrick on Suir on October 28th.

Well over 1,000 people from all over Tipperary and beyond attended the Funeral and Removal, and the Irish Government and Taoiseach were represented by Commandant Caroline Bourke.

Chief Celebrant was Killenaule Parish Priest Fr. Jimmy O’Donnell, while John’s brother, William Fahey, spoke of his late brother’s many contributions to local life, his love of Irish and poetry, and his legacy. John Fahey was “everyone’s friend,” said William.

Cllr Fahey was first elected to Tipperary Co. Council in 1999, and was re-elected on each occasion since. He served on numerous committees, bodies, and associations, including the Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB), the South Tipperary Arts Centre, and the Committee for the Promotion of Irish.

Cathaoirleach of Tipperary Co. Council, Cllr Mattie Ryan, led tributes to his late colleague, followed by representatives of each political party, and colleagues on Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District.

Cllr Louise McLoughlin recalled Cllr Fahey's lifelong contribution to public life. 

“On behalf of the Fine Gael group I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the Fahey family,” said Cllr McLoughlin. “To his wife Anna, sons Jack, Daniel, and Harry, and to all his extended family. We were shocked and greatly saddened to hear of Johnny’s passing on Sunday after such a short illness.

“We have lost a great friend and colleague - a very proud Killenaule man - he was softly spoken but very effective in the work he did for the betterment of the people in the Carrick on Suir District.

“He was highly respected and very popular among his FG colleagues, fellow Councillors, and the staff at Tipperary County Council. While he is a huge loss to us he is a bigger loss to the people he represented in Killenaule and surrounding areas.

“He was a very driven Councillor when it came to things like economic development, roads, infrastructure, and Heritage and Tourism in the areas near his home in Killenaule. He was very vocal at meetings on the topics he was passionate about and was determined to deliver for the District that he was so proud of representing.

“He was heavily involved in the development of the Tholsel building in Fethard that is now famously known as the Horse Experience Museum. This was a huge undertaking by Johnny who worked tirelessly with the committee to make sure nothing stood in the way of getting this building transformed to what we see today.

“The Horse Experience Museum is known worldwide and Johnny was so proud of his involvement and how the project materialised.”

“As Chair of the Carrick on Suir District and as a fellow Councillor in the Carrick on Suir District, I will truly miss Johnny. He was a great support to me when I first joined the Counicl and he has been a very reliable friend and colleague since. He was always someone I could depend on for advice no matter what the issue. It was a great honour to serve with Cllr Johnny Fahey and he will be truly missed by all who knew him,” concluded Cllr McLoughlin.

Full story and more, in this week’s Tipperary Star.