Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome Joe, Frances, Helen and Veronica to the House. It has all been said by Deputy Martin. I sympathise with them on behalf of my party on the loss of Paddy Lalor. I remember him very well. Not many of the current Dáil will remember him during his time as a Deputy. It will come to them all in due course and someone will stand up somewhere sometime and pay whatever tribute he or she may wish. I remember Paddy sitting in the seat the Chief Whip currently occupies at a time of great challenge within the party. He always had a quizzical look on his face, as if to say, "What is going to come next?"

I agree with Deputy Martin that he was a person who loved life. He was a popular Deputy and Minister and someone who was genuinely interested in the affairs of his constituency and people and he relayed that through to Government, which I suppose is what democracy is about.

Deputy Martin mentioned Paddy's hurling exploits. Paddy brought that sort of capacity to his general political work. A person would not want to take him on without being clear as to what to do next. Paddy was a talented athlete and represented the O'Moore county well. When he finished his playing days, he took up public service and he was genuinely interested in the well-being of his constituents. While things were not as strong economically as they might be, he still represented the people of Laois strongly. He was a Vice-President of the European Parliament. It was new for Ireland to send its members to the European Parliament after 1979 and the tales of exploits and engagements in and outside that Parliament were always a source of both amusement and intrigue when they were brought back to the Dáil. While he was many miles away in Brussels, his focus was always on Laois. Paddy's family are able to say with pride that their dad represented his people exceptionally well in the constituency, throughout the country and beyond. Whatever differences people might have in political parties, we can always say that Paddy Lalor, for one, as the male head of their family, did a first class job in speaking out for his people and in carrying out representation in this Chamber.

One of Paddy's opening remarks in Irish was to extend a fáilte Uí Cheallaigh to the visitor and he would ask me occasionally, "Did I say that properly?" I used to say to him, "Paddy, it is no bother to you". Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

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