Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is my sad duty to join with the Cathaoirleach and Acting Leader in expressing words of sympathy and condolence on the passing of former Teachta Dála, Senator and councillor, Dick Dowling. Dick was a secondary teacher in De La Salle school in Waterford. He was a mathematician of excellence and an extraordinarily intelligent man. He had a huge reputation for his mathematical skills and abilities, and as a teacher. He was a lovely human being.He was gregarious, pleasant and engaging to meet, in conversation and in every regard. He was a brilliant public speaker. One of his colleagues said to me that he could put something so succinctly that he could get a lot said in a few minutes, which is something the Cathaoirleach would probably commend to the House and hopefully will not be an issue with my speech. His wife, Máirín, was also a teacher, at primary school level. I know her, too, and I convey my deep sympathy to her, the four boys and two daughters. It is a sad occasion. As the Cathaoirleach outlined earlier, apart from being a wonderful human being, Dick Dowling was notably a great family man and a lover of people. He had concern and was empathetic. Complementary to and simultaneously with that, he had a distinguished political career. As outlined, he was a Teachta Dála for Kilkenny from 1982 to 1987. He served as a Senator on the Labour Panel, which, as the Cathaoirleach and I are aware, is a particular distinction and an onerous task. He did that with distinction. He stood unsuccessfully as a Fine Gael candidate but was then elected in a general election after he was elected as a Senator. He won a Dáil seat in November 1982. He had a distinguished career here in the Oireachtas. His contributions were noteworthy, as were his camaraderie with colleagues and his capacity to deliver to individuals and his community.

He was elected first to Kilkenny County Council in 1974 for the Piltown electoral area and was a county councillor until 2009, which is relatively recently. His home was near Waterford. Interestingly, the city of Waterford was seeking to expand northwards across the River Suir onto land which is in County Kilkenny, and sought a revision of the county boundaries to enable this. Dowling was a strong opponent of such expansion, describing the county boundaries as sacrosanct. He had that sense of history and tradition. When the proposal was formally made, he said local people would not be satisfied with any extension. He stood up for his people at all times.

He was a distinguished member of the ETB and served on the board of Abbey Community College, near Mooncoin. He had an excellent career and was a truly good man. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.