The family of a Limerick politician, who died last year while canvassing with Fianna Fáil's Willie O'Dea, has appealed for the return of a plaque stolen 24 hours before it was to be unveiled in his memory.

An Irishman who died in a skiing accident on the Swiss Alps on St Stephen’s Day was described at his requiem Mass yesterday as a courageous free spirit who packed an extraordinary amount in to his short life.