Tributes paid to former councillor Stanley Laing
By Aura McMenamin
TRIBUTES have been paid to former long-standing Fine Gael councillor for South Dublin County Stanley Laing who passed away on Wednesday night.
Originally from Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, and raised in Mullingar, Mr Laing served as Dublin City Council councillor and later South Dublin County councillor from 1979 to 2008, when he retired.
He died on Wednesday night in Mount Tabor Nursing Home, Sandymount at the age of 88, having recently celebrated his birthday on New Years Day.
His former colleagues paid tribute to Stanley on Thursday.
Local councillor for Fianna Fail Charlie O’Connor remembers serving with Mr Laing in Dublin City Council from 1991.
Mr Laing succeeded Cllr O’Connor as Cathoirleach (chairman) of Dublin City Council in 2000.
According to Cllr O’Connor, despite being members of opposing parties, he always held Mr Laing in high esteem.
He said: “He was one decent man. He was a great public representative for the area.
“Although he served for Templeogue, he did work for parts of Tallaght as a councillor. After becoming chairman in 2000, he opened Fettercairn Community Centre. There’s a commemorative plaque with his name.”
MEP and former TD for Dublin South West Brian Hayes said that Mr Laing first proposed him to run for the General Election in 1996.
Mr Hayes said: “He proposed me for every election since then. It was unfortunate that he didn’t become a national politician because he had the ability.
“He always held his seat, despite difficult times for Fine Gael. We had a very bad election for local government in ‘85 and ‘91 and in both election he held onto his seat.”
Mr Hayes recalled that Templeogue House, an 18-century house located near the Spawell roundabout, was one of Mr Laing’s ‘big accomplishments’.
He said: “He did a huge amount of work to get funding from the council.”
Former Senator and councillor Cait Keane, who was previously in the Progressive Democrats and later joined Fine Gael, said that the party leadership did not stop Mr Laing from forming good working relationships with fellow councillors.
She said: “We set up a joint effort, the Templeogue Development Committee, which Stanley was the chair of. Templeogue House is a beautiful house, which the council put €4m into.
“But now, it’s been lying for about ten years without anything done. We wanted to see it become a community centre.”
Ms Keane said that she hoped South Dublin County Council would honour ‘true gentleman’ Stanley’s legacy and continue to fund the house’s development.
“If he could ask for one thing to be done, it would be that.”
Stanley, who was married to the late Mildred Laing, leaves behind sons Victor, Gordon and Andrew; daughters-in-law Colette, Edel and Yvonne and grandchildren Emma, Phoebe, Annie, Sam, Ryan, Keysha, Kyle and Ethan.
In memory of their father, his sons wrote: “Dad had strength and dignity and was the definition of a gentleman. It is his utter decency that will endure.”
Stanley will be lying in repose at Massey Bros. Funeral Home, Templeogue Village tomorrow (Friday) from 3pm to 7pm.
His funeral service will be held in Christ Church Rathgar on Saturday, January 6 at 11.30am followed by Cremation in Mount Jerome Crematorium at 1.30pm.
