RTÉ News reports on the death of the former Independent TD for Kerry South Jackie Healy-Rae. The Kilgarvan man was regarded by many as one of the most colourful and popular characters in Irish politics.
Prior to entering the Dáil, Healy-Rae was a Fianna Fáil councillor and served as the party's director of elections in the Kerry South constituency three times. However, he broke away from Fianna Fáil when the party refused to nominate him as a Kerry South candidate in the 1997 general election. Instead, he ran as an Independent candidate, and got elected. Healy-Rae remained in the Dáil until he retired from politics at the 2011 general election, just before his 80th birthday.
Healy-Rae's sons Michael and Danny would follow in their father's footsteps by getting elected to the Dáil together as Independent TDs in 2016.
R.I.P. Jackie Healy-Rae (1931-2014)