Former Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae has died at the age of 83.
The politician had been suffering from a long-term illness and it’s understood that he passed away at Kerry General Hospital shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon.
Healy-Rae was a Fianna Fáil councillor in Kerry for decades before leaving the party when he failed to get a general election nomination in 1997.
He won a seat as an Independent in Kerry South, which held until 2011 when his son Michael was elected to replace him.
The family were recently filmed for a TV3 reality show called At Home With The Healy Rae’s.
