[citation needed] Thady Coughlan was born in Limerick on 3 March 1951 into a political family.
He grew up on Barrington Street in Limerick city before his family moved to Wellington Place, off O'Connell Avenue.
In 1974, he was elected to Limerick City Council as a Labour Party councillor, while his father was still a member.
In August of that year, he represented Limerick Corporation at the funeral of Éamon de Valera.
He had commenced employment at the Anglo Irish Bank in 1977, and became heavily involved in rugby in the city.