Brendan Ryan (Labour)

We became friends as the years went on, since it was impossible, once one knew Liam Burke, not to like him. He was immensely popular with members of my own party on Cork City Council, and also with all other members. Known affectionately as "Burkie", in his later years he had moved beyond party conflict, although he was very able in it, and was regarded almost as an institution in Cork politics, both locally and in its national expression. It is quite tragic that someone who always had such a zest for life and a sparkling sense of humour sharp enough to provoke the likes of me in my earlier days should pass on. It took me a while to realise that he was getting much more fun out of it than I and enjoying the provocations.

Liam Burke was a good, hard worker and a remarkable political survivor. For the one or two occasions on which he lost, there were others when he survived in ways that can only be described as miraculous. His capacity to extract 12th or 13th transfers across the entire political spectrum is perhaps the strongest evidence of his genuine likeability. As a mere blow-in to Cork who spent 30 years there, I feel that he will be missed, since people had a sense of him as one of those who defined the city and its local political culture.

On my own behalf and that of my party, I sympathise with Liam's family and Fine Gael. He is genuinely someone whose absence will be noticed, and he will be missed in Cork.