Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I was going to mention this at the end of Question Time and I am happy to do so now. I feel devastated for the Sutherland family, for his parents and two sisters and the entire boxing community. I was privileged to get to know Darren, however briefly, during the Olympic Games. I saw every one of his fights. I remembered the exuberance and excitement he brought and the lift he gave to the entire Irish Olympic team. We can contrast this time with the same time last year, with the high, the success and the emotion of the whole country following his success along with his colleagues who won silver and bronze. Some 12 months later we see a major personal tragedy befall his family. The response of the boxing community speaks volumes. I was at the funeral and it was so sad to see that the life of someone with a glittering career in front of him had come to an end. That must be dealt with in the first instance by his family but the outpouring from the wider public is there and I hope the family finds some comfort in it. He was greatly appreciated.

The one image that is fixed in my mind and that exemplifies Darren is when the plane came home from the Olympic Games. He came off the plane wearing the Chinese hat, with a smile on his face. He was a figure who demonstrated how proud he was. Hopefully, since he won the medal he felt how proud Ireland was of him. It is so sad. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

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