A MEMORIAL service will be held in Galway next month to honour the life of Billy Lawless.
The former senator, who was born in Rahoon, Co. Galway, died on November 8 at the age of 73.
Mr Lawless and his family emigrated to Chicago in 1998 where he set up a successful restaurant chain.
The entrepreneur went on to establish the Gage Hospitality Group in 2007.
Billy Lawless has died, aged 73In 2016 he was nominated by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny to serve as an independent senator in the Seanad, a position he held until 2020.
Following his death, current Taoiseach Simon Harris described him as a “gentleman to his core”.
"Billy Lawless was a gentleman to his core, he was a businessman at the top of his game, and he was a person who accepted a challenge from former Taoiseach Enda Kenny - to travel from Chicago to Leinster House to represent the Irish diaspora.” He said.
"He did his work with diligence and great pride; he was great company, and he was an extremely kind man,” Mr Harris added.
President Michael D Higgins has also paid tribute to his “former neighbour” in Galway, recalling “Billy’s deep commitment to his community in Galway and later in his adopted home of Chicago where he has left a real and lasting legacy”.
He explained: “Billy was a stalwart of the Irish community there, and his tireless efforts on behalf of the undocumented Irish were widely acknowledged.
"Billy’s role in fostering the sister city relationship between Galway and Chicago was rightly recognised by Galway City Council in his being made a Freeman of Galway in 2015.
"Sabina and I recall also the generous and warm welcome that Billy extended to us when we visited Chicago in 2014," he added.
“In 2021 he was among those to whom I presented a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Irish Community Support, which was so richly deserved.
“Billy Lawless will be greatly missed. I hope that the deep affection in which he was held by the Irish community in the Chicago area, and across the US as well as in Galway, will be some consolation to his family and to all who knew him.”
Mr Lawless leaves behind his wife Anne and children Billy, Clodagh, Amy and John Paul.
His funeral Mass will take place at 11am on Thursday, November 14 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in North Orleans Street, Chicago.
A Memorial Service will be celebrated for Mr Lawless at Galway Cathedral on Saturday, December 7 at 4pm.
Instead of floral tributes, his family has requested donations be made “to a cause close to Billy’s heart”, The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).
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