Former Labour party TD and lord mayor of Cork Toddy O’Sullivan has died aged 87.
Mr O’Sullivan served as a TD for Cork North and South Central between 1981 and 1997 and for five years as a minister of State.
Labour leader Alan Kelly described Mr O’Sullivan as a “stalwart” of the the party for many decades.
“He lived a long and successful life, and I am very sad to learn of his passing. I regularly sought his counsel, and he will be greatly missed by all those who worked closely with him over many years,” he said.
“A staunch trade unionist, he was always on hand to support his colleagues in the Post Office Workers Union and was rooted in his community in the Barrack Street area in the south inner city.”
Mr O’Sullivan first stood for the Dáil in the 1979 Cork City byelection after the death of Patrick Kerrigan, more than doubling the Labour vote but missing out on the seat. He went on to top the poll in Cork North Central in 1981 and was returned to the Dáil a further five times, switching to Cork South-Central in 1987.
He was elected chair of the parliamentary party in 1989. He served twice as a minister of State, first in the Department of the Environment and later in the Department of Tourism and Trade. He lost his Dáil seat in 1997.
President Michael D Higgins said Mr O’Sullivan “will be remembered as one of the most warm-hearted members of the Oireachtas.
“Having had the privilege of being a colleague of his for decades, I can attest to that. He loved Cork in all its dimensions, be it history, politics, sport or personality,” he said, adding that “his friends will remember him, as will I, for his warm humour, and a volatility fuelled from his sense of decency and needed reform”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of Mr O’Sullivan’s death.
“As a minister of State, TD, lord mayor and city councillor, he served his city and his country with passion, integrity, dignity, and total commitment throughout his life,” he said. “Toddy was a mentor and friend in politics. He understood the importance of a cross-party approach for the benefit of the people.”
