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88-year old Ian McGarvey celebrates following his election today. Donegal Daily
89-year-old councillor
89-year-old Donegal man becomes Ireland's oldest councillor after election win
Ian McGarvey, who will turn 89 in July, fought a close battle to keep his seat
IRELAND’S OLDEST COUNCILLOR, 89-year-old Ian McGarvey, retained his council seat today in Donegal.
McGarvey, an independent candidate, won the final seat in the three-seater Milford ward after five counts.
A member of Donegal County Council since 2004, McGarvey is also a former mayor and ran for the 2016 general election.
Speaking to the Donegal Daily, he said: “You are basing your campaign on the amount of work you’ve done for people in the past. It was always been a pleasure to assist people in difficulty.
“Age should not be a barrier to people and I had to prove that to myself. I want to contribute as long as I’m able to. If I retired, what would I do?
“I would have been away dancing if this wasn’t on,” he added.
McGarvey became the Mayor of Donegal at the age of 82 and was last year elected Mayor of Letterkenny.
Today’s election was a close call for McGarvey – at one stage, there were only six votes between him and closest competitor Eimer Friel of Fine Gael.
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