Joseph Farrell

Joseph Farrell (1 July 1905 – 24 November 1999) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1961 on the Labour Panel and was re-elected to the Seanad in 1965 and 1969.

As a young man he was a member of the IRA and participated in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War on the Republican side. During this time he formed a close friendship with Frank Aiken who headed the Fianna Fáil organisation in Louth and became one of the party's Councillors on Dundalk Urban District Council and on Louth County Council. He served as Cathaoirleach of Dundalk UDC on a number of occasions and was also twice President of the Association of Municipalities of Ireland (AMAI).

After Charles Haughey's selection as a candidate for the 1973 general election, Aiken informed Jack Lynch that he would publicly renounce his resignation as a candidate were he selected to run. Despite entreaties from Lynch and President Éamon de Valera, Aiken refused to do so but following pleas from Farrell at the request of Lynch on the night of the selection convention in the Town Hall in Dundalk, Aiken publicly announced his retirement from politics on doctor's orders and endorsed Farrell's candidacy to succeed him. He never again attended any Fianna Fáil function thereafter thus ending speculation that he would attempt to succeed de Valera as president.

Farrell was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency at the 1973 general election and was re-elected at the 1977 general election.

In fact at a Fianna Fáil party selection convention in Dundalk in 1981 he was de-selected by the then Constituency Delegate Cllr Thomas Bellew. Farrell remained a member of Louth County Council and retained his seat in 1985 by which time Bellew was then an Independent member of the Council. He retired from politics in 1991.

Farrell had always been an opponent of Charles J. Haughey throughout his time as a Fianna Fáil party member even while as a Party Vice-President during the 1980s. His wife, Margaret known as (Baby) pre-deceased him. The couple had no children.

His niece, Mairead Farrell, was killed by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1988 and was the subject of the documentary "Death on the Rock."