Fondly known as "the Stroke", Fianna Fáil's Cllr Michael Fahy is a popular local representative in Ardrahan, south Galway, who has given a quarter of a century to politics - and intends to remain for the time being on the local authority.
A farmer and insurance salesman, Cllr Fahy is known as an energetic councillor who topped the polls during the last two local elections.
For a time he harboured ambitions at national level, but found himself in a crowded field in Galway West with the likes of junior minister Frank Fahey, Minister Éamon Ó Cuív, former minister Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, and former party member and subsequent Progressive Democrats founder Bobby Molloy.
At one stage, he stood as an independent Fianna Fáil candidate at local level and received 3,000 votes.
His nickname dates back to 1979, when he called a meeting of party officials after he was refused a nomination and got added to the ticket. Regarded as one of the more colourful members of the chamber, he has been at the centre of attention before.
Earlier this year, shortly before the June local elections, he acknowledged he had used Oireachtas envelopes to send out hundreds of canvassing letters - a service normally confined to TDs and senators. Commenting at the time, Cllr Fahy said he was being "singled out" for criticism, and told the Connacht Tribune that he was doing what "everybody else is doing". In April last year, he threatened to go on hunger strike unless changes were made to the Galway County Development Plan and said he had lost faith in planning officials.
He claimed councillors were no longer given any say in such matters.
Cllr Fahy is on the Limerick Prison visiting committee. It is understood the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform intends to write to the councillor seeking information on his future intentions relating to the committee.
