The return of Lazarus was referenced in City Hall recently as Michael John Crowe was co-opted back onto Galway City Council – just six months after losing his seat at June’s Local Election.

The Fianna Fáil councillor was returned to the local authority to fill the vacancy created following the election of John Connolly to the Dáil in Galway West.

A former Mayor, Cllr Crowe was on the Council for 20 years, representing City East, before being unseated in June.

At a Fianna Fáil selection convention, he won out in a head-to-head against another former mayor, Val Hanley, to secure the party’s nomination to represent City West.

At Friday’s meeting, the remaining City East Fianna Fáil Councillor Alan Cheevers nominated Cllr Crowe for co-option, a proposal which was seconded by Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind).

“Mike has been a colleague of mine since I first went into politics in 2014. He went through the process to get nominated by party members in City West.

“I know he will be very much welcome back on the Council. He has vast experience – more than 20 years’ experience up to June of this year and I know he will make a valuable contribution to this Council over the next four-and-a-half years,” said Cllr Cheevers.

Several councillors remarked on Cllr Crowe’s ‘no-nonsense’ approach to Council proceedings, with Cllr Frank Fahy (FG) suggesting the barrister and publican’s presence would have been welcome during terse exchanges over the local authority’s budget in recent weeks.

“I know if Michael John Crowe was here on the Council, it wouldn’t have taken three attempts to pass a budget,” he said.

Cllr Clodagh Higgins (FG) said it had been “very quiet since he left but I have a feeling that’s all going to change”.

The Mayor, Cllr Peter Keane (FF), welcomed his party colleague back to the Council chamber and credited Crowe with approaching him to enter politics in 2007.

Upon his return, Cllr Crowe said his electoral defeat in June had been “difficult to accept – even hurtful”, but he had accepted it.

“Whilst I’m not new to this chamber, it is new for me to be elected this way,” he said, adding that he had won four elections and had hoped to make it five.

“It was humbling to receive the overwhelming endorsement of the party in City West” to fill Deputy Connolly’s seat, said Cllr Crowe.

Tributes were paid to Deputy Connolly, who took up his seat in the Dáil on Wednesday last for the first time.

Mayor Keane described him as “a fearless advocate” of voters and said he should advocate for an upgrade in the City Council’s status.

Currently at Tier 5, Galway City Council receives the lowest amount of national government funding available to a local authority.

“We will be asking you to work as hard as you possibly can to change our categorisation as a Tier 5 local authority,” he said.

Council Chief Executive Leonard Cleary said this would be one of a series of asks the Council would be coming to its new Galway West TD with in the coming weeks.

Cllr Mike Cubbard (Ind) said Deputy Connolly “has the passion needed to represent Galway West” while Cllr Cheevers said the Bearna man had “made a fantastic contribution over three terms on the City Council and I believe he will be a fantastic representative for Galway West in Dáil Éireann over the next five years”.

Cllr Fahy said Deputy Connolly was “very honourable and a great proponent of the Irish language”, while Cllr McDonnell said “he will be missed [in City Hall] because his contributions have been excellent”.

Pictured: Michael John Crowe: Co-opted onto City Council.