Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

On behalf of the Labour Party, I join the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny in expressing my personal sympathy and that of my party with Mary Keegan and her family on the death of the late Seán Keegan. For someone to have served through four decades as a public representative from the time of his election to Westmeath County Council in 1955 to his time in Dáil Éireann in the 1980s is a great personal achievement. It is a great tribute to Seán Keegan to have enjoyed the support of the people of Longford-Westmeath over time.

I did not know Seán Keegan, but I knew of him. In the early part of my life as a trade union official I remember attending meetings in places like Burlington Klopman in Longford, with drainage workers in Mullingar and Ericsson in Athlone, and hearing people talk of Seán Keegan and what he had done to help them. No greater tribute can be paid to a public representative than to be spoken of in such high terms by the people he or she represents. Although I did not know him, Seán Keegan was always spoken of very highly by the people he represented. I extend the sympathy of the Labour Party to Mary Keegan and her family on their personal loss. I also extend our sympathy to Fianna Fáil on its political loss. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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