Rory Kiely (Fianna Fail)

I too wish to join in the tributes to Eileen Desmond, who was a remarkable woman and a remarkable politician. She served the people of this country and Cork in particular with honour and distinction and will be remembered as one of the most outstanding women to serve in these Houses. She was the first woman since Countess Markievicz to be a member of Government. This was a wonderful achievement for a lady who entered politics reluctantly after the untimely death of her husband, Dan. At the time it was a most courageous step for Eileen as she was only 32 years of age with two young children. I remember the by-election as the constituency was several miles from where I live. Eileen won the by-election and, as a result, a general election followed. An interesting note is that the three candidates in the by-election were elected to the Dáil in the ensuing general election. I do not know whether this is a good omen for future by-election candidates.

Both Eileen and her husband, Dan, served the Mid-Cork and Cork South-Central constituencies. She also represented Munster in the European Parliament and was elected to the Seanad in 1969 on the industrial and commercial panel. All were wonderful achievements. I wish to extend my sympathy to her daughters, Honor and Paula, the latter has followed her tradition of sitting on Cork County Council, their children and the rest of the Desmond family.