Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On behalf of Fianna Fáil and on my own behalf I extend deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our late colleague, Liam Lawlor, on the sad occasion of his tragic death on 22 October. During recent weeks our thoughts have also been with Liam's wife, Hazel, his daughter, Ciara, and sons, Niall, Gerald and Shane. In that time Liam's family have borne their private grief with enormous public dignity and composure.

The news of Liam's sudden death reached my colleagues and me during the Ard-Fheis in Killarney and it is always a shock when somebody one knows so well dies suddenly. Liam's death was a particular shock because he was a man of such extraordinary energy and it was especially hard to believe he was gone. Liam and I entered this House in 1977 and I have shared many occasions with him, both at home and abroad, in the years since. I worked with him throughout the country in an organisational capacity on behalf of Fianna Fáil in the early 1980s. I was also involved with him in many Oireachtas committees in my earlier years.

Liam was born 60 years ago in October 1945 and educated at Synge Street CBS and Bolton Street College of Technology. He was involved in much of the city's and county's activities over the years. Before he entered politics he ran a successful refrigeration company.

When he was elected to the Dáil as Member of the three-seat Dublin West constituency in 1977 at the age of 33, he dedicated himself to looking after his constituents and constituency. His record in elections was mixed. He lost his seat and regained it in 1982 only to lose it again. In 1985 he won a local authority seat, topping the poll, and won his Dáil seat back again in 1987. He retired in 2002. From 1987 to 1989 he served as Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies, which he particularly enjoyed, and held various positions on other committees.

He was an outstanding athlete and played hurling for Dublin at senior level as well as at club level. He also represented Leinster in the Railway Cup when the competition was tough. He ran the Dublin city marathon and was therefore a fit and energetic person.

The bare facts of Liam's political and sporting life do little to convey the real man. A phrase often used to describe him in the days after his death was "larger than life". He was a big man with a great gift for humour, conversation and storytelling. He was good company and through all the ups and downs he was never dull or less than entertaining. He never appeared to let things get him down and was a vivid and engaging colleague around the House. Through the many tough times he endured he managed to project that bright side. Liam was a man of many parts.

Liam's wife, Hazel, and members of his family join us today in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Hazel, her daughter, Ciara, and sons, Niall, Gerald and Shane, knew a Liam Lawlor few of us knew. He was a family man, a husband and father whom they will miss because he will never come back to them again.

The circumstances of Liam's death were surrounded in the same blaze of controversy that surrounded much of his political life. Much has been said and written about the manner in which his death was reported. There are lessons for us in politics and for the media who perform a valuable service in reporting our work. We should remember that charity is not the enemy of justice and neither justice nor charity is the enemy of the truth. We all have our faults and moral judgment is something we should pass sparingly. The finest testaments to Liam, and the ones he would have been most proud of, are the extraordinary grace and dignity of his wife, Hazel, who I have been honoured to know for decades, and the eloquent defence of their deceased father by his loyal and loving children.

In these brief words I extend my condolences to Hazel, Niall, Gerald, Shane and especially Ciara, who worked with me during my period as Leader of the Opposition, and wish them well into the future. It is an honour today to join with all the other leaders in testament to a person who was controversial but a good guy and a nice person around this House. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

See this speech in context