Former lord mayor Joe Doyle dies

Former lord mayor of Dublin Joe Doyle has died following a long illness.

Former lord mayor of Dublin Joe Doyle has died following a long illness.

Mr Doyle died yesterday at Blackrock Hospice the age of 73.

The former Fine Gael TD for Dublin South-East first served on Dublin City Council in 1979, before being elected to the Dáil in 1982. His first term lasted until 1987, and he was elected again in 1989 to 1992.

He also served terms in the Seanad, from 1987 to 1989 and 1992 to 2002.

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Mr Doyle was elected lord mayor of Dublin in 1998.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny paid tribute to Mr Doyle today, praising his "deep sense of loyalty" and commitment to his work as a politician.

“It is with deep sadness that I learn of the death of Joe Doyle who was an outstanding public representative and an excellent parliamentarian. Joe was a Christian in every sense of the word and I would like to extend my sincere condolences to his wife Peggy and all his family at this sad and difficult time for them," he said.

“Joe was a politician who was completely dedicated to the mandate assigned to him by the electorate. He epitomised all that was good in Irish politics and his contribution to parliamentary debate was both highly valued and in keeping with the realities of the day. Joe had a deep sense of loyalty to those with whom he served as a public representative and was always fully in tune with the needs and concerns of his constituents."

Dublin Lord Mayor Emer Costello offered her condolences to Mr Doyle’s family.

She said it was under his stewardship as lord mayor that the decision was made to introduce the Spire monument on O’Connell Street as a symbol of modern Dublin.

“Joe was a fine public representative who worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for his constituents on Dublin City Council for 25 years, and also in Dáil and Seanad Éireann,” Ms Costello said.