Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Tánaiste and the Labour Party, I congratulate Bobby on his election. This is not our first time serving together and Dáil Éireann was a poorer place without him. I am standing today to try to inject a little bit of gender balance into the proceedings. Congratulations to Deputy Aylward. I join the Taoiseach in congratulating all who stood for election. It is never an easy experience and particularly so in the case of a by-election. I won a by-election myself and I know what it is like to have the spotlight on one area with an intensity that only a by-election can bring. It is quite difficult. That said, walking in here is a great leveller. Everyone who wins a by-election walks in here and because of the constant media attention, believes that he or she will be Taoiseach the next day. However, as Deputy Aylward and I both know, that is not going to happen today or tomorrow. I commend all who stood in the by-election, including Willie Quinn, the Labour Party candidate. All candidates put up a magnificent show, not just on behalf of the people they were hoping to represent but also on behalf of their parties. We owe a debt of gratitude to them all for supporting the democratic process. Once again, I congratulate Fianna Fáil and Deputy Aylward. Well done.

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