Biography

Tierney was born in Galway's Mainguard Street, the son of John Tierney of Hollymount, County Mayo

County Mayo

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...

, and Harriett Kinnevey of Roscahill, County Galway

County Galway

County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

. He had siblings Jack and Mary. The family ran a grocery. After the early death of his father, the business was sold and Harriett re-joined her first profession, nursing.

Tierney began working for Coras Imopair Éireann (CIE) shortly after leaving school, and was to become a prominent member of the Irish Transport & General Workers Union, been variously branch secretary and vice-President. His work in trade unionism brought him into politics; in 1960 he was elected to Galway Corporation, and became Mayor as an Independent Labour candidate, the first of the kind in Galway. He made industrial unrest and unemployment his priority, and was proud of the fact that while he was Mayor, no industrial action was taken in the city. This was avoided because Tierney made himself constantly available for negotiations between management and unions.

He made history in 1968 when he became the first Mayor from Ireland to wear his robes of office in Stormont Castle

Stormont Castle

Stormont Castle is a baronial mansion on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast which is used as the main meeting place of the Northern Ireland Executive....

 while meeting the Premier

Premier

Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...

 of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, Terence O'Neill

Terence O'Neill

Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party...

. Among the items discussed were tourism, and the unsettling political situation. In March 1968 he was guest of honor of Mayor Richard Daley

Richard Daley

Richard Daley may refer to:*Richard J. Daley , Mayor of Chicago , father of Richard M. Daley*Richard M. Daley , Mayor of Chicago , son of Richard J. Daley...

 of Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 during the Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...

 parade. On this trip he addressed the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, and in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 visited American soldiers wounded in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

. One of the latter was a Lieutenant David Tierney, who told Mayor Tierney his grandparents were from Galway.

Tierney spent nineteen years on the Corporation, fifteen on the Harbour Board as Commissioner, and a number of other private and public associations. He married Margaret (Peggy) Lydon in 1945, and their children were John, Francis, Evelyn, Thomas, Margaret, Della, Stephanie, Michael. He is buried in New Cemetery, Bohermore.

External links

• http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/YourCouncil/HistoryofTheCityCouncil/PreviousMayors/