Frank Prendergast is a retired Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 lecturer and Labour Party politician who served two terms as Mayor of Limerick

Limerick

Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

 and served for four years in Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

, as Teachta Dála

Teachta Dála

A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (TD) for Limerick East.

He first stood as a candidate for Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 at the 1981 general election

Irish general election, 1981

The Irish general election of 1981 was held on 11 June 1981, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 21 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 22nd Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 30 June when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....

, as the running-mate of sitting TD Michael Lipper

Michael Lipper

Michael Lipper was an Irish Labour Party politician who served for four years as an independent TD for the Limerick East constituency....

. Both Labour candidates were defeated by the independent socialist

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

 Jim Kemmy

Jim Kemmy

Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party...

. Prendergast did not contest the February 1982 general election, but stood again as the sole Labour candidate at the November 1982 general election and regained the seat for Labour.

Kemmy regained the seat by a wide margin at the 1987 election

Irish general election, 1987

The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January. The newly-elected 166 members of the 25th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 10 March when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place in...

, and Prendergast did not stand again. Kemmy's Democratic Socialist Party

Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)

The Democratic Socialist Party was a small left wing political party in the Republic of Ireland. It was a merger of Jim Kemmy's Limerick Socialist Organisation and the Socialist Party of Ireland. Jim Kemmy was an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann...

 merged with Labour in 1990, and the two men continued to serve on Limerick City Council

Limerick City Council

Limerick City Council is the local authority which is responsible for the city of Limerick in Ireland. It is the responsible for local government, sanitation, motor vehicles tax, and social housing.-History:...

. Prendergast had been Mayor twice, from 1977–78 and 1984–85, and Jim Kemmy

Jim Kemmy

Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party...

served two terms a Mayor in the 1990s.http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6610