Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Bhí aithne agam ar Dick Hourigan. Bhíomar le chéile sa Tigh seo ar feadh roinnt blianta agus bhí cairdeas eadrainn. Chaitheamar cuid mhaith ama trasna an bhóthair i dtigh ósta nach dtabharfaidh mé ainm air. Dick Hourigan made many efforts to explain farming to me, particularly late at night. I would not be recognised as the most sympathetic commentator on the ups and downs of agriculture but Dick saw it as a personal crusade to enlighten me about it. As well as being an authority on agriculture, he was also farseeing and passionately committed to it. He considered its future as much as its present condition. His loyalty to Fine Gael was taken for granted and whatever his personal thoughts might have been about things that were said or done, his loyalty to the party was unequivocal and absolute.

I was saddened to hear that Dick Hourigan had left us because I did not see him as being of an age where death was a likely prospect. The last time I met him he still had hopes of returning to some sort of political activity and while that particular ambition has been denied him, he made a contribution both to his party and to this House for which he deserves to be remembered. Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a anam fíordhílis.