Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

We are saddened today that the representatives of each party must rise to voice sympathy on the deaths of two former Members of this House, John Mannion and Pat Codd. The former Senator, John Mannion of Fine Gael, served on the agricultural panel in Seanad Éireann from 1969 to 1977. He was a member of Galway County Council for a long period, and of the former Western Health Board and other bodies. He was then elected to Dáil Éireann and subsequently to Seanad Éireann, and was well-liked. People in the west of Ireland talked about his family. He believed strongly in representing the people and was a keen member of the county council.

His father, John Mannion senior, had been a Deputy for Galway West between 1951 and 1954. He too was on the agricultural panel. His son followed in his father's tradition.

Pat Codd, from Wexford, was a Member of this House from 1975 to 1977, having come in on a Seanad by-election. He was a great champion of the Wexford people having been a diligent and painstaking member of Wexford County Council. I am reading from Deputy Kenny's press release because I did not know either gentleman so I must rely on this source. He believed in the power of politics to improve people's lives. We all subscribe to that tenet because that is why we are in politics. He was well-known and everybody spoke well of him which is highly unusual in political life.

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, and its members, I express sympathy with the families of the late John Mannion of Clifden and the late Pat Codd of Wexford.