John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join others in the constituency in congratulating Bobby and welcoming him back to Dáil Éireann. In particular I congratulate his family and supporters who are present today. The Aylward family have been involved in politics in County Kilkenny for generations at this stage and they have a formidable political operation as was shown in recent months.

I am a bit of a political nerd and I know the Leader of the Opposition mentioned statistics earlier. I believe this is the highest turnout in any by-election I can remember in my lifetime. It represents a huge endorsement for all 13 candidates who put their names on the ballot paper. I sincerely congratulate Bobby and his wife Helena, and their children and grandchildren on their election campaign. From looking across, I note that Bobby got a tan on the highways and byways of Carlow-Kilkenny. There are others sitting close to him who got their tan elsewhere during the course of the by-election campaign.

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