Enda and wife wedding guests
BRIAN WALSH was lord mayor of Galway when he married Fiona Flatley at Galway Cathedral in December 2005. Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife were among the guests.
After serving seven years on Galway City Council, he stepped down from the local authority when he was elected as a Fine Gael TD for Galway West in 2011.
But Mr Walsh, 43, did not contest the last general election in February. He resigned his seat in the constituency three weeks before the campaign got under way, having previously said that he would not contest the election due to ill health.
When initially questioned in November on Galway Bay FM radio about his decision not to continue with a career in national politics, he insisted that he would not be receiving a pension until he was 66.
Ordinarily, the former TD would not be entitled to a pension, calculated on the basis of years of service, until he is 66 years of age. However, a month later he applied to the Oireachtas for, and was granted, early retirement on grounds of ill health.
He therefore began to receive his pension immediately, and doubled his monthly pension to €1,800. In documents seen by the Irish Mail on Sunday Mr Walsh claimed to have diverticulitis – an inflammation of the intestine – which is not typically considered to be a serious disease.
He previously told the MoS he cannot get surgery to improve his health.