It is with great sadness that our county and the wider country marks the passing of former Clare Fine Gael TD Donal Carey.
Donal dedicated his life to public service and to the people of this constituency. First elected to Clare County Council in 1974, he went on to represent our county with distinction in the Dáil from 1982 to 2002, and served as a Minister of State in the Department of the Taoiseach and in the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. His work, particularly for rural renewal and the Gaeltacht, showed how deeply he was committed to supporting communities and safeguarding our heritage.
Donal was a gentleman, loving father and grandfather, a committed public representative, and the embodiment of quiet, steady service to the people of Clare.
I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies from myself, and also on behalf of Clare Fine Gael, to Leonora, Joe and Donal, to all the extended Carey families, and to his wide circle of friends and former colleagues who mourn his loss.