Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I join the Taoiseach and my colleagues in paying tribute to John Wilson. First, I extend my sympathy to Ita, John, Siobhán, Maria, Lucy and Claire. John was a big man, in stature and in heart, who had tremendous intellectual ability. He had a burning desire to work for the people of Ireland, never forgetting his roots in Cavan. I got to know John in the early 1970s when he was TD for Cavan and, in 1977, when Cavan-Monaghan became a constituency for the first time, we were both elected to the Dáil. John was a great constituency colleague and was always supportive of any initiative that would better the lot of the people in both Cavan and Monaghan. As a Cabinet colleague he was very loyal and used his talents to very good effect. When he left the House he became the commissioner for victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and his work was very much appreciated, particularly in the Border counties. He was a distinguished sportsman, a distinguished scholar and a great raconteur, and it was always great to be in John's company.

As Members will appreciate, I fought seven elections with John. At election time there was always fair competition for votes in Cavan-Monaghan and John allowed, on a number of occasions, that he had no difficulty consulting me as a doctor at any time but would certainly not do so during election time. I think he was afraid I might send him home to bed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

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