Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

On behalf of the Labour Party I wish to pay tribute to the late former Deputy, Billy Kenneally, to sympathise with his family on his passing, to sympathise with the Fianna Fáil Party on the loss of one of its great servants and especially to sympathise with our colleague, Deputy Brendan Kenneally. I did not have the privilege of knowing Billy Kenneally as he was here before my time, but from what I have heard from my colleague, Deputy Brian O'Shea, from what I have read of his political career and from what I was aware of at the time when I followed politics in the newspapers and so on, I have gathered that Billy Kenneally made a remarkable contribution to the House and to his constituency. He was a Member for 17 years, elected to the House on five successive occasions, a Member of Seanad Éireann and the mayor of Waterford on two occasions. He was a man who gave great service to the people of his constituency and who made a significant contribution to his political party, as Deputy Kenny and the Tánaiste have noted. He chaired that party at a time of great difficulty and turbulence and at a time of great change in the country. I am aware from my conversations with Deputy Brian O'Shea that Billy Kenneally was also a man of strong views and strongly held values, something to which we should give more attention to in political life in these modern times. Thar ceann an Lucht Oibre ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a ghabháil le clann Kenneally, go háirithe lenár gcomhleacaí an Teachta Brendan Kenneally, agus lena pháirtí, Fianna Fáil. Is léir ón méid atá léite agam gur thug an Teachta Billy Kenneally seirbhís dílis do mhuintir na nDéise agus dá pháirtí. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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