Tributes to have been paid to the late William Freney by his colleagues and elected members of Clare County Council describing him as a huge asset to the county in which he lived and worked.

Freney died suddenly in August while on holidays with his wife and two children, he was 49. A senior executive engineer with Clare County Council, his colleagues have paid their respects since his passing with a minute’s silence held at the September meeting of the West Clare Municipal District and a fifteen minute adjournment of the local authority’s sitting this month.

An employee of Clare County Council for two years, William was a native of Castlebar in Co Mayo and spent 22 years working in Donegal after his graduation. While working in the Banner County, he lived in Ennis with his family.

Speaking at the September meeting of the County Council, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) in proposing an adjournment acknowledged, “His wife and family are Ennistymon people. I would like to offer the sympathies to all his family, wife and extended family”.

Independent councillor, Ann Norton stated, “William was a huge asset to Clare County Council. I knew him personally, he was very much into his running. A lot of the time I used to see him he was wearing an orange Clare Crusader t-shirt”.

“His death is very sad and traumatic, it is very sad for both his wife and two children, I’m very conscious his children are very young, his daughter is making her Communion this year. I pray for his soul and that his wife gets the strength to carry on,” Cllr Norton added. Fine Gael’s Joe Cooney commented, “William was a gentleman. It was very sad the way he passed away”.

Cathaoirleach of the County Council, Cllr Cathal Crowe remembered Freney as “A real athlete who enjoyed long distance running. I attended the funeral and what we saw was a grief stricken but very united family”. He also expressed his sympathy to William’s colleagues in the Council whom he knew were hurting following his death.

William’s loss is deeply regretted by his wife Catherine, children Conor and Kyla, his parents William and Ann, his brothers Michael, Pat and Alan, sisters Bernadette, Mary, Caroline, Michelle and Karen, brothers in law, sisters in law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.