Michael Bell

Michael Bell (1 October 1936 – 20 May 2011) was an Irish Labour Party politician. Bell was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency at the November 1982 general election and retained his seat until losing it at the 2002 general election. He was a trade union official before entering politics. He served on Drogheda Corporation and Louth County Council and was mayor of Drogheda between 1983 and 1984. He died in May 2011. It is thought that, at some time prior to his first election to the Dáil, Bell was a member of Fianna Fáil, but details are lacking.

His wife, Betty, served on Louth County Council with him from 1991 to 1999, having been also elected for the party in the Drogheda area. Their nephew, Paul, twice served as Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council and also as Mayor of Drogheda and is currently a member of the Labour Court.

Bell served with the Local Defence Force (FCÁ) for 29 years, during which he completed a full-time stint on the Irish border between 1969 and 1970 during The Troubles as a senior NCO and oversaw the care of 1,100 Northern Irish refugees at Gormanston Camp in County Meath.

Deafness, which Bell suffered as a result of his years of service on the border, prompted him to consider suing the State. This prompted considerable embarrassment within the Labour Party at the time of his suit against the Department of Defence, for he was the party's Defence Spokesperson; and, having at the time threatened publicly to rejoin Fianna Fáil, he was asked to withdraw his case. It remains unclear if South Louth Fianna Fáil would have re-admitted the Deputy.