Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

It was a baptism of fire for Séamus. He was a very conscientious secretary of the comhairle dáilcheantair, an important position. He had a tremendous ability to take minutes and was a conciliatory voice in the region, which was needed at times in the constituency of Roscommon.

In 1998 he suffered a tragic loss when his beloved wife, Bríd, died. Anyone who knew them both saw that they were together in every sense. They were both wonderful Irish speakers, spoke bilingually at times and inspirational to anyone who knew them. I am delighted his work for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is being continued in the Seanad by Labhrás Ó Murchú. He was enormously proud of his work for Comhaltas and led a group to Libya in 1976. He had a broad vision.

I discovered today that he and I share the same birthday, under the sign of Libra. He was a balanced man. His death is a tremendous loss. He lived a fulfilled life and did wonderful work. He made an enormous contribution to Irish life. We extend our deepest sympathy to his lovely family. We will miss him in Roscommon, where he lived for so many years.