Brendan Ryan (Labour)

It is a reminder to us all of how quickly life passes that we are paying tribute to somebody nominated to this House by Éamon de Valera. The fact that somebody had a long and, I hope, fruitful life after his political career in this House does not detract from what we have been told, that Senator Walsh was an active and prominent Member of the House and a serious and thoughtful contributor. We in the Labour Party pay tribute to his contribution and his long life and with our colleagues we extend our sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues, especially in Fianna Fáil, who have lost a stalwart.