Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

On my behalf and on behalf of the Labour Party, I join the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny in offering our sincere sympathy and condolences to the family of the late Liam Lawlor. It ought to be remembered that the past six or seven years cannot have been easy for the Lawlor family. They could not have anticipated his premature passing in the tragic accident in Moscow. That tragedy was exacerbated considerably by its manner of reporting in some sections of the media. I know how unnecessarily wounding and deeply hurtful that was for the family. I know it directly from my neighbour of more than 20 years, Noel Lawlor. For him and his decent and honourable family, the passing of Liam Lawlor was unnecessarily exacerbated by the tenor of the reporting of his departure.

We operate in this House on occasions like this on the principle of de mortuis nil nise bonum or, as we say in Ireland, one does not speak ill of the dead, and I do not intend to depart from that stricture. I had more than my fair share of conflict with the late Deputy Liam Lawlor. I would like to be able to say that he had used his prodigious talents exclusively in the interests of public service and to enhance politics, but I cannot say that. Today, however, is not the time to assess the political contribution of Liam Lawlor, rather it is an occasion to allow all sides of this House to offer our sincere condolences to his direct family and his extended family, and I join in doing that.

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