Political leaders yesterday paid tribute to Mr Vincent McDowell, a county councillor and social and environmental campaigner, who died on Sunday.
Mr McDowell (78), originally from Newry, Co Down, held a seat for Labour in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and played a prominent role in many community campaigns.
Labour Party leader Mr Pat Rabbitte said Mr McDowell had a long record as a community rights activist since his days as vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association.
When he was 16, in 1941, he was interned for three years in Crumlin Road Prison, Belfast. His mother, Nora, and sister, Una, were also interned. Mr McDowell was an active member of both Labour and the Green Party and, in more recent years, represented both parties in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
His background was rooted in Labour and he helped organise the Irish Labour Party in Belfast and became an active member of the Labour Party in Dublin when he settled in Dún Laoghaire in 1952. He also played a key role in the development of the Greens, which he joined in 1989. One of his daughters, Ms Nuala Ahern, is a Green Party MEP.
Green Party leader Mr Trevor Sargent, yesterday described Mr McDowell as a "father figure" for many members.
"Vincent is lovingly remembered by so many and admired, too, as a catalyst for positive change who was always young at heart and optimistic in outlook."
Mr McDowell was elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in June 1999 for the Green Party. He left the party before the last General Election following the selection of Mr Ciarán Cuffe as the candidate in Dún Laoghaire. He rejoined Labour this year.
A retired engineer and marketing manager, he was also a member of the Dún Laoghaire Business Association and was the author of two books, Michael Collins and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (1997) and An Ulster Idyll (1989).
He is survived by his wife, Nora, sons Colm and Uinsionn, and daughers Nuala, Noreen, Una, Sheila and Emer.
His removal will take place at 11.30 a.m. tomorrow morning from his home in Mulgrave Street, Dún Laoghaire, to St Michael's Church, Dún Laoghaire, followed by a funeral service at noon and burial at Dean's Grange Cemetery.
