Death of former Letterkenny town councillor Jim Lynch

The death has taken place of former Letterkenny town councillor Jim Lynch who sat on the local authority in the town for 29 years.

The Letterkenny man passed away on Friday morning after a short illness.

Originally from the Ard O’Donnell area, the former principal of Cloughfin National School was first elected to Letterkenny Urban District Council in 1985. He remained a councillor on Letterkenny Town Council until it was abolished in 2014, having served as the mayor of the town in 2009.
Elected as a councillor for Independent Fianna Fáil councillor, he later sat as an independent.
Mr Lynch was well known for his community work in the Letterkenny area and had a particular interest in the town’s heritage and environment and the development of the cathedral quarter. He was active in the Letterkenny Tidy Towns Committee and also edited the Letterkenny Christmas Annual.
Speaking on Highland Radio about the last meeting of the town council in 2014, he said being a councillor was “very much part of my heart”.
“It has been a part of my life for so long, for 29 years, you just can't throw it away right away.”
Mr Lynch’s nephew, Fianna Fáil councillor and mayor of Letterkenny Donal Kelly, paid tribute to him for his passion for his home town.
“A real Letterkenny man that had so much passion for the best of the town and dedicated so much of his life up until his last day to help improve Letterkenny Town in the best way possible.”