The Taoiseach has led tributes to a Limerick Fianna Fail Councillor Jerry O’Dea, who died suddenly over the weekend.
Mr O’Dea, who was just 55, was due to be elected Mayor of Limerick next week.
It is understood that he suffered a medical episode after finishing work early on Saturday morning.
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Tributes for the Limerick city councillor and publican have poured in describing him as “an outstanding public representative.”
Taoiseach Micheal Martin offered his condolences and said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the death of “our party colleague and friend Cllr Jerry O'Dea.”
"Jerry was a proud Limerick city man and an active supporter of a wide array of city sports clubs, community groups and charities. He was a very popular local public representative who cared deeply about his city and its people. Jerry worked tirelessly for those he represented and was always active on the ground in an understated and highly effective way.”
Mr O’Dea was due to take the mayoral chain of office and become the Mayor of the City and County of Limerick at the local authority’s annual meeting next Thursday as part of the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael power sharing pact.
His brother-in-law Cllr James Collins who is a former Mayor of Limerick said that he was looking forward to taking office before his tragic passing.
He said that Mr O’Dea was loved by the community and would be greatly missed.
“My phone has been ringing all morning - it just shows how popular he was. He supported an awful lot of sports clubs. He had a very strong connection with Pike Rovers and with Geraldines through the pub and loads more sporting organisations. He was a big supporter of Treaty - he used to sponsor buses for them.
“He was very community focused. He was very active in the local community but was slow to take the credit or the limelight. He was very grassroots - that’s what he enjoyed.”
The Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Daniel Butler expressed his shock at the news and offered his condolences to the friends and family of Mr O’Dea.
“I was shocked and saddened to hear this morning of the death of our council colleague Jerry O’Dea. It is very difficult to get your head around such tragic news. Our thoughts are with Jerry’s family and friends and his party colleagues at this terrible time. We are all in total shock," said Mayor Butler.
A statement from Limerick City and County Council said as a mark of respect the Irish flag will be flown at half-mast at corporate buildings in Merchant’s Quay and Dooradoyle.
Cllr O’Dea is predeceased by his mother Margaret and survived by his father John Joe, children Catherine and JD and their mother Sinead, his brother Andrew, sisters Siobhan and Eileen, his wider family and many friends.
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