Richard Hourigan had a distinguished record of service as a Member of Seanad Éireann. He won three of the four elections he contested, which is a remarkable achievement for a person who was not a former Deputy. It was an excellent electoral performance. He was also an excellent debater. He won a gold medal at UCD for his debating skills which I am sure he honed to good use when he was elected to the Seanad in 1982. He was an agriculturalist who was elected to the House on the Agricultural Panel. He was also a farmer and had graduated with a degree in agricultural science from UCD. Not many people undertook that course at the time. He was an expert in agriculture and was an official, in many capacities, for the Irish Farmers Association from 1962 to 1979.