Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the parents and sisters of Shane O'Farrell. An incident, accident or event such as this is probably the one thing that is the nightmare of every parent in this country. The subsequent events have been heartbreaking and upsetting for the family. Even though it was on 2 August 2011, it would not matter if it were now, or in ten or 50 years' time, because it would be still heartbreaking for the family, friends and relatives. For this situation to arise, with the person who was the cause of this event being on bail at the time, is surely an indictment of how poor our system is. Nobody should be in a position to be out on bail, to be the cause of an accident and to take away a respectable young man's life, with every hope and dream that person had.

Nobody should take away the right that person had, the same as any of us, to go about his work and to carry on his life. To have all of the hopes and aspirations that young man had wiped out like that is so sad.

That is why I wanted to be here, along with my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group, out of pure respect for the late Shane and his family, and rightly to support this motion in the House. I want to thank everybody involved for highlighting this. We should be seen to do everything possible to try to bring about proper justice and to do our part, which is the right thing to do. On the one hand, I am sorry that the family have to be here, but on the other, I am glad they are here, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

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