New face on council following sad passing of popular Limerick publican

THERE will be a new council member next month as Fianna Fáil select a member to take the seat left vacant after the passing of Jerry O'Dea.

In the summer, there was shock and sadness at the death of the Mulgrave Street publican just days before he was due to win election as Mayor of Limerick.

Unlike in Dáil Éireann or Seanad Eireann when a member is no longer in office, at council level there is no by-election.

Instead, it is the party who the candidate represented who bring a new member in.

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Annacotty activist Joe Pond is expected to be co-opted to the local authority at November's meeting after he was selected unopposed by the party's grassroots in City East.

It's not the first time he will be co-opted onto the council. Back in 2016, he joined after Castleconnell man Shane Clifford decided to step away from representative politics.

Despite many observers expecting him to be returned to City East at the 2019 election, he lost his seat by a whisker, Mr O'Dea taking a second Fianna Fáil seat in the constituency.

A close confidant of Willie O'Dea, Mr Pond was the last candidate to be eliminated, and almost doubled his vote from his 2014 local election showing - from 455 votes then to 837 in 2019.

Speaking following his selection, he admits to bittersweet feelings, given the nature of how he is back in front-line politics.

"I'm honoured to be selected by Fianna Fáil, but this way is not the way I'd have wanted to get back into politics. Jerry's passing was sad for everyone," he said.

Mr Pond welcomes the impending return of a bus service to parts of Annacotty, but said he'll campaign for a route serving parts of the village that the Dublin Coach will not.

"The other big thing I hope to campaign for out here is a garda station for this side of the city. I acknowledge Castleconnell has 11 personnel in there, but it's not open 24/7, and the amount of development and factories out this side, we are talking about a huge population out here," he said.

Despite losing his seat in 2019, he continued working in the community, including notably for Aisling Annacotty FC, where he is secretary.

His colleague in City East, Cllr Catherine Slattery has welcomed Mr Pond's return..

She said: "I am delighted that Joe Pond will be filling Jerry O'Dea's seat. While it is a very sad occasion for Jerry's family, the seat could not have went to a more deserving person as Joe works tirelessly for the people he represents."