Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to mention the death of a member of the country's emergency services on Monday, 12 September. Caitríona Lucas, along with her husband Bernard, was a part of that extraordinary group of men and women who volunteer to dedicate their skills, time and passion so that others may be safe along Ireland's coastline. I would like to extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of Caitríona, a woman who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the service of others. As is standard procedure with any marine casualty, an investigation by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board is currently under way into the incident that resulted in Ms Lucas's death. A separate investigation is also being conducted internally by the Irish Coast Guard service. It is important that we let these investigations finish their work before coming to any conclusions on the cause of this tragic accident.

I was very privileged to attend the very sad funeral of Caitríona last week. It was an occasion of great sadness for the community, where thousands of people recognised the extraordinary work of the volunteers.