‘Liam had a calm and experienced voice’

THE passing of Laharn native Liam Crowley (72) was met with deep sadness in Killorglin, where Mr Crowley was one of the longest servicing solicitors in the town. He passed away peacefully at his home on Monday surrounded by family.

Liam qualified as a solicitor in 1972 and spent a few years working for his uncle and fellow solicitor, Willie Crowley, before travelling to work in Brussels for eight years in the former EEC. Liam subsequently returned home and opened his own practice in May 1985. Throughout his life, he was described as a man who adhered to the old-fashioned standards of ‘courtesy and civility’.

Tralee-based solicitor John Galvin paid tribute to Liam, saying he was ‘always in good humour and would always greet you warmly’.

“Anyone who had any dealings with Liam only had the utmost of respect and good things to say about him,” John said.

“You were always the better for being in his company. He was a very fair and honourable man. I never heard him ever ‘doing down’ someone, he would always try and find something good in everyone.

“He was very well regarded in his profession, especially with people who were aging as Liam would have been very anxious to ensure all their rights were protected. Anyone in the legal world can only speak well of Liam: all he ever tried to do was help everyone and get business done,” John added.

Liam also comes from a family ‘rooted’ in the Kerry Fianna Fáil tradition. Liam was instrumental in his role as Director of Elections for the party locally, helping Fianna Fáil personnel in their election aspirations – at local and national level – over many years. Liam also took huge pride in the local community across many sectors, from business to voluntary organisations.

The Chairperson of the Fianna Fáil CDC in Kerry, Christy O’Connell, said Liam was by nature ‘a true gentleman’ and a person who saw ‘goodness in everyone’. Even in the often frenetic and tempestuous world of politics, Liam always remained calm and constructive.

“You always placed great value on Liam’s advice because you knew Liam gave his honest appraisal of a situation,”

Christy added that, from an early age, Liam’s time spent working in Brussels gave him a great insight into how the European Parliament worked.

“He was a very valued member of the Fianna Fáil party; a man of great ability and vision. He had a very kind temperament in conveying his views and to win the confidence of people.

“He was a nice man, and as you know in politics, whenever the temperature rose, Liam always remained a constructive voice. He was a calming voice and a voice of experience.

Close friend Michael Cahill also paid tribute to Mr Crowley and said he was a true friend to him over the years. TD Norma Foley also paid tribute.

The late Liam Crowley