John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I express my sympathy and that of the local Fianna Fáil organisation in Clondalkin and Lucan to the family of Liam Lawlor, Hazel, Ciara, Niall, Gerald and Shane, on his tragic death. Many of the local members have expressed their sympathies to the family and many attended the funeral, including Councillor Jim Daly. Jim often mentioned Liam, saying, "Liam is one hell of a tough man and I have the scars to prove it", but he was referring to the hurling field. The political and sporting relationship goes back a long way. I also express my sympathy to Noel Lawlor, Liam's brother, who is a member of the local Fianna Fáil organisation in Clondalkin.

I never served with Liam Lawlor on the local authority or in the House. I contested the local elections in 1999 with him and, upon Liam's retirement from politics in 2002, I was elected to the Dáil. A procedure is observed when new Members meet former Members who return to the House and visit the Dáil bar. I recall the first time I met Liam in the House. A number of colleagues introduced me to the former Member, Liam Lawlor, but little did they know I knew him anyway. Liam pretended he had never met me and I pretended I had never met him so one can imagine the banter that ensued. We had dinner together that night and Liam, as always, was colourful, full of life and witty, and he was an absolutely engaging host. He was a pleasure to be with and I met him in the House on a number of occasions subsequently.

Anybody who has experienced a tragic death such as that experienced by the Lawlors will understand their trauma, pain and grief, particularly when Liam's death occurred far from home. They will acknowledge the search for answers about what happened, how it happened and the manner of a loved one's death. It is tragic and painful for a family to experience that. However, the Lawlors' pain was compounded by media reports and no family should ever have to endure that. I will not comment further on that but it was tragic for the family.

Since Liam's death, I have met many constituents, all of whom referred to the media reports because they were shocked and abhorred by them. However, a significant number of them told stories about work Liam did for them. In the 1980s social welfare benefits and supports were not as good as they are now — it was a different era. Many constituents in socially deprived areas still appreciate and recognise personal and political acts involving Liam who assisted people through his kindness and generosity. Those people will never meet Hazel and talk to her about these acts but it has been interesting to meet people in my constituency office who still recognise and appreciate individual acts done by Liam on their behalf. May he rest in peace.

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