Late Cork mayoress was a ‘force of nature’, council meeting told

Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Shannon paid tribute to his late wife Ursula at Monday night’s city council meeting, describing her as “a force of nature”.

Mr Shannon thanked the elected members and executive, as well as the Lord Mayor for their support.

“She was a force of nature. She loved her year here as lady mayoress, and she was the real lord mayor — because I spent 35 years doing what I was told,” he said. 

“She was an advocate lately for the Adoption Rights Alliance, where she found her birth sister and brother.”

He recalled when she was asked to appear in the House of Commons, and told him after that she had “asked them to find their moral compass.”

He said his late wife “delighted” in their children, adding: “They are her legacy — they got her brains and her looks. 

“She was very stoic in her short illness, she knew what was happening, though we thought we might have more time. 

“She slipped away Christmas morning. She left a great legacy, great friendships, and we’re the better for knowing her," he concluded, adding that he will be stepping back from his council work for a short time while he and his family adjust.