Donegal's oldest councillor retires next Tuesday

Tuesday next will be a red letter day in the history of Donegal County Council and indeed the country's local authorities as its oldest serving councillor, Ian McGarvey, attends his last meeting.

The 92-year-old Ramelton veteran will attend his last-ever Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District meeting.

He had been interested in politics for a long time, but he wasn’t elected as a public representative until 2004 when he made the breakthrough in the then Milford electoral area, getting elected to Donegal County Council at the age of 73.

Since then he has held his seat at each subsequent local election.

He became Ireland's oldest mayor at 82 and the council’s first independent mayor in June 2013.

In 2016, at the age of 85, he became the oldest candidate to ever contest a general election in Ireland.

 It was the fourth time that he had contested a Dáil election, but as was the case in 1982, 2007 and 2011, he was unsuccessful.

In June 2018, he was elected Mayor of Letterkenny.

Extremely active for his age, and a long-time campaigner on behalf of the elderly, he certainly won't be taking it easy on his last day. 

His final three motions are typical of the man, looking for answers on housing, water supply and health issues. A champion of the people right to the end.