WARM tributes have been paid following the sad passing of a former Limerick councillor, bus conductor and taxi driver.

Many people of a Limerick vintage travelling on the city’s buses – or getting a taxi home – will remember having their fares collected by Timmy O’Driscoll.

The Moyross man, who served as a councillor in the ward one area of the old Limerick City Council from 1985 to 1991, will be remembered at his funeral Mass at Corpus Christi Church in the parish from noon on Saturday.

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He has sadly died just three months after his wife, Helen, who passed away on October 14 last.

Veteran Limerick City TD Willie O’Dea ran alongside him, with the pair being elected to the same ward 41 years ago.

He recalled how Timmy came from nowhere to win election to the local authority.

“I remember nobody giving him any chance at all. The old counting system was very slow. They were doing the count in the old ward one, and at lunchtime, I remember some fella had 497 votes, someone else had 520 votes, and Timmy had about eight votes! Everyone was laughing at him,” recalled Mr O’Dea.

“But what they didn’t realise is they had not yet opened the Moyross boxes. In the afternoon, they opened the three Moyross boxes, and Timmy topped the poll. When they opened these boxes, it was like a volcano hitting!”

Mr O’Dea described him as: “A very active councillor and a thoroughly decent fella”.

“He was a bus conductor. He used to be getting problems and writing them down in his notebook when he was working,” the Fianna Fail man added.

Timmy was elected initially as a member of Jim Kemmy’s Democratic Socialist Party, before crossing the floor to join the Progressive Democrats, founded by another Limerick political titan, Desmond O’Malley.

Former Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan was elected to council on the same day as Timmy and Mr Kemmy.

“He was a people person, a very good representative for Moyross. He did move on from the DSP to the Progressive Democrats, but was a very good colleague on council. He worked well with other councillors in the different political parties,” she said.

Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon did not serve on council with Timmy, but was elected in 1991 as a Progressive Democrats member himself.

“Timmy was a pleasant, energetic councilor. He was very proud of Moyross. He worked very hard in the community. Being a taxi driver, he’d be listening to what a lot of people wanted! He’d have his feet on the ground, and he kneew what was going on in his community,” said the northside councillor, now in Fianna Fail.

Another former Progressive Democrats member was Cllr Brigid Teefy, now an Independent.

She remembers how Timmy was always really well turned out.

“He had a great sense of humour. He would always have a joke or a bit of fun about him. He was very interested in his own community, working hard for his community. I did meet him at an event recently, and he was the same Timmy – always spruced up and smiling,” said Cllr Teefy.

“Some people have that about them – they’d give you a lift when you’d meet them. It’s a lovely thing to have,” she added.

Latterly, Timmy O’Driscoll lived in Meelick.

Formerly of CIE, as well as being a taxi driver and a shopkeeper in Moyross, he passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at home earlier this week.

The bewloved father of Deirdre, William, Dermot, Aileen, Conor and Paul, daughter-in-law Nadia and cherished grandchildren Orla, Aoife, Theo, Hugo, Gráinne, Fiadh and Íde.

Timothy will also be deeply missed and forever loved by his family, brothers Johnny, Kevin, Michael and Brian, sisters Marion, Monica, Geraldine, and Carol, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, cousins, neighbours, friends and his loyal companions Summer, Shadow, Masie and Milo.

He is predeceased by his Parents William and Mary, sister Ann (Quinn) and his niece Julie.

He will repose at Cross’s Funeral Home in Lower Gerald Griffin Street this Friday, January 30, from 4.30pm to 6.00pm, followed by removal to Corpus Christi Church, Moyross.

His requiem Mass takes place Saturday, January 31, at 12pm, after which Timmy will be laid to rest in Ballycannon Cemetery, Meelick.

The Mass will be streamed live here: https://www.mcn.live/Camera/corpus-christi-church-moyross

May he rest in peace.