Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

On behalf of the Labour Party and my own behalf, I join Deputy Kenny and the Taoiseach in expressing our sympathy on the death of Joe Doyle, a former colleague in the Dáil, a former Member of the Seanad, a former Lord Mayor of Dublin and a former city councillor. I want, in particular, to extend our sympathy to Peggy, his widow, his sons, David and Michael, his daughter, Róisín, their extended family and also to Deputy Kenny and the Fine Gael Party.

Joe Doyle was a gentleman and he was a credit to politics. As the Taoiseach said, he was a public representative who gave politics a good name. He was somebody to be greatly emulated. He was an outstanding representative for people he represented on Dublin City Council and in his constituency when he served in the Dáil and in the Seanad.

I had the privilege of getting to know Joe after I was elected to the Dáil in 1989. The route I take to Leinster House from Shankill brings me through Donnybrook and when I saw Joe occasionally waiting at the bus stop near Donnybrook church, I picked him up. Depending on the traffic we had the opportunity to have conversations about many issues. While we would not have agreed on some of the big social controversies of the day, I found that I had a great deal in common with Joe - his commitment, in particular, to working for people who were less well off, his commitment to his constituents and, most of all, his sincerity . Everything about Joe Doyle was about a man who was absolutely sincere in what he believed. He believed in what we was doing as a public representative. He was absolutely committed in his religious convictions and in his views. He was a great man and somebody who is a great loss, both to politics and to life.

Mar a dúirt an Teachta Kenny, mura bhfuil Joe Doyle ar dheis Dé, níl seans ar bith ag an chuid eile dínn.

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