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 (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

politician. He was a member of

Donegal County Council Donegal County Council () is the authority responsible for Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The ...

representing the

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

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 (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

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

Biography

Born and raised in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, Larkin was educated at

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

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 (IFF), sometimes called the Independent Fianna Fáil Republican Party, was a splinter republican party in Republic of Ireland, Ireland created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms ...

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. Niall Blaney is the son of Harry Blaney, grandson of Neal Blaney, and nephew of Neil Blaney, all former TDs. A ...

. 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 The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; ) is the governing body for association football in the Republic of Ireland. Organisation The FAI has an executive committee of five members under the president, who receive expenses, as well as a p ...

(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 The FAI Junior Cup is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for junior association football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. The inaugural winners were Brideville. The competition's most successful club is Fairvie ...

. 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

Sudocrem Sudocrem ( ) is an over-the-counter medicated cream aimed primarily at the treatment of irritant diaper dermatitis. It contains a water-repellent base (consisting of oils/ waxes); protective and moisturizer agents; antibiotic and antifungal agen ...

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 a ...

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 Highland Radio is the local radio service for the County Donegal (North) franchise, operating under a licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The station began broadcasting on 15 March 1990, and is franchised until 2024. Hea ...

, 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