Career
He was nominated by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, on 23 June 2007, to fill a vacancy left by the election of Brendan Kenneally to the Dáil at the 2007 general election. He was not nominated to the 23rd Seanad. Sands was a lifelong trade unionist and former president of the Local Government and Public Services Union.
He was a director of elections for Fianna Fáil in County Louth.
Sands died on 17 October 2015.
