Tipperary councillors in tribute to Michael O'Kennedy, a man 'loved by the people'

Former Tipperary North TD and Minister Michael O’Kennedy was “loved by the people”, Nenagh Municipal District council heard as tributes were paid to the Nenagh native by councillors. 

Led by Fianna Fáil Cllr John Carroll, who was Mr O’Kennedy’s campaign manager from 1997 until 2002, he said that people warmed to Mr O’Kennedy and that was why they returned him at each successful election.

Mr O’Kennedy was first elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and to Dáil Éireann from there on.

He served in numerous ministries and each Taoiseach and leader of the party saw the intellectual ability that he had, first off as parliamentary secretary and then as minister for state and successive ministries and then EU commissioner and senior counsel.

“From the turnout, you saw that the people loved him. They came from all quarters of the county just to pay tribute because they loved Michael O’Kennedy and the people of north Tipperary loved him,” said Cllr Carroll.

He said that he would like again to pay tribute to the great work that Mr O’Kennedy did, saying he was a man who rarely took credit. He delivered so many projects - urban and rural. 

"He did so much and took so little credit,” he said. 

Cllr Carroll said that Mr O’Kennedy had also been innovative in his career as a senior counsel, which was acknowledged by the people at his funeral from the legal profession.

“The likes of Michael O’Kennedy I don’t think we’ll see the likes again in Tipperary as far as I am concerned,” he said.

Cathaoirelach of Nenagh Municipal District Council, Cllr Michael O’Meara said that it had been an honour for him to attend the funeral.

He said that the one word you would use over and over again was that he was a gentleman.

Cllr O’Meara said that Mr O’Kennedy was a man of huge integrity.

“He had a huge charisma about him and people gravitated towards him, which was unusual now in politics,” he said.

“They saw him as a real leader and that was reiterated time and again when he was elected.

“Let’s not forget at the time the political scene in Tipperary was very keenly contested, even in his own party. I suppose a lot of times it was tough going for himself and Michael Smith to get elected,” he said.

Cllr O’Meara said that Mr O’Kennedy was a man that represented not only Nenagh and Tipperary, but Ireland on the international stage.

“People saw him as an extremely straight and honest man. He was very much loved in Nenagh,” he said.

Cllr Hughie McGrath described Mr O’Kennedy as “a great Nenagh man”.

Highlighting how popular and ordinary Mr O’Kennedy was, Cllr McGrath said that if you got a lot of politicians and asked them to start walking from the top of Pearse Street to the railway station it would take  about 10 minutes.

“When Michael O’Kennedy decided to walk Pearse Street it took two hours, and that was just a tribute to the man.

“No one would pass him and he would pass no one. That was the calibre of the man.

“Every person on the street stopped to talk to him. They just felt he could be approached because he gave off that persona that I am here, I am one of you,” said Cllr McGrath.

The Independent councillor, a former Fianna Fáil member, pointed out that his  family were “big Michael O’Kennedy people. I had uncles that would die for and. My sister, Eileen, walked the roads for him.”

Cllr Ger Darcy said that Mr O’Kennedy had been “a very able man, no doubt about that”.

Mr O’Kennedy had achieved high office. He loved Nenagh and Tipperary, no doubt about that.

He was a very pleasant man, said Cllr Darcy.

Cllr Darcy recalled that back in the 1980s when Tipperary was very much a marginal constituency and only a handful of votes separated candidates, they were often counting votes in the  Scouts Hall well into the early hours of the morning.

“At the funeral all those people were back again,” he said.

When you speak about Michael O’Kennedy, you are talking about a statesman, said Cllr Joe Hannigan.

“People will say what effect he had on the town of Nenagh, but also I can say that he had a serious effect on the entire constituency. He was class and that could be seen. He was a top class individual,” he said.

Cllr Seamus Morris recalled Mr O’Kennedy’s great affinity for Nenagh Éire Óg, saying he delivered for the club when they were looking for funding for the stand.

“He didn’t let us down. He was a fantastic Nenagh man and one of the last politicians in Nenagh that had the popularity in the town where, literally, he was loved,” he said.

Cllr Morris said that growing up, they had been  encouraged to vote for Mr O’Kennedy where they were going out to vote because of the way he delivered for Nenagh Éire Óg.

“If I’m a junior hurler, Michael O’Kennedy was an Allstar. He was a fantastic man from a fantastic family,” said Cllr Morris.

Cllr John “Rocky” McGrath said that it had been an honour to meet Mr O’Kennedy.

“He was a total gentleman,” he said.

Cllr Fiona Bonfield said that her own family would have known Mr O’Kennedy and not only did he do a lot for the people of Tipperary but also for the people of the country.

Cllr Phyll Bugler joined the rest of the councillors in expressing sympathies to Mr O’Kennedy’s family, wife Breda; son Brian; daughters Orla and Mary, and extended family.