Dessie Larkin (c. 1970 – 18 March 2019) was an Irish

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...

politician. He was a member of

Donegal County Council Donegal County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall) is the authority responsible for local government in County Donegal, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hou ...

representing the

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

electoral area from 1999 to 2014. He served as the County Council's chair of the Planning & Economic Development Strategic Policy Committee. He was the highest paid councillor in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

. Larkin was the youngest ever chairperson elected to Donegal VEC. He was also a member of

Letterkenny Town Council Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a Counties of Ireland, county in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, pro ...

Biography

Born and raised in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

, Larkin was educated at

St Eunan's College St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ire ...

in Letterkenny. He has worked in Unifi and been Chairman of the Peace III Partnership Board and Chairman of the Donegal County Development Board. He was married with four children. First elected to the Town Council as a member of

Independent Fianna Fáil Independent Fianna Fáil was a splinter republican party in the Republic of Ireland created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms Crisis (1969–1970). The party ceased to exist on 26 July 2006. It was ne ...

in 1999, he also served as Town Mayor. He was elected as Chairman of the County Council on 27 June 2005, which resulted in him representing Donegal throughout the country. He served in this position for one year. Until 30 June 2005 he was Mayor of Letterkenny. Larkin joined

in 2006 alongside

Niall Blaney Niall Blaney (born 29 January 1974) is an Irish politician who has been a Senator for the Agricultural Panel since April 2020. He was a member of Independent Fianna Fáil until he joined Fianna Fáil in 2006, he served as a Teachta Dála (TD) ...

. He died on 18 March 2019.

''Larkin v. the Football Association of Ireland''

During a football match played on 3 October 1993, Larkin suffered severe burning to his scrotum and inner thighs. In 2006, he sued the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). His injuries resulted from the lime used to mark the football pitch burning his scrotum and inner thighs. The burning occurred when Larkin was playing a soccer match for Bonagee Celtic Football Club in the FAI Junior Cup. Larkin recalled the lack of changing or showering facilities. He removed his football shorts only to notice "white stuff like Alka-Seltzer" in his shorts. His skin was also inflamed. After an uncomfortable drive home, Larkin applied Sudocream to the affected area, took painkillers and went to bed. The judge in the case was told there were no instructions from the FAI regarding the amount of lime and water to be included in the mix. The judge awarded Larkin €9,000, also stating that the onus was on the FAI to ensure players were sufficiently warned to take precautions to prevent such incidents happening.

Expenses and appointment controversies

Former

environment minister An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

John Gormley John Gormley (born 4 August 1959) is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from June 2007 to January 2011, Leader of the Green Party from June 2007 to May 2011 and Lor ...

illegally appointed Larkin to the Private Residential Tenancies Board in 2008. Donegal County Council and several media outlets, including Highland Radio, received documentation alleging Larkin was involved in irregularities in expenses payments.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Dessie 2019 deaths Fianna Fáil local councillors Mayors of Letterkenny Members of Donegal County Council People educated at St Eunan's College Independent Fianna Fáil local councillors Year of birth uncertain