Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I wish to express the sympathy of the House and of our party at the very sad death of the former Senator Andy O'Brien, who served for many years in this Chamber and whom the Cathaoirleach would have known very well. His family is here today. While for them it is a sad occasion, for us it is good to get to meet those he left behind. His lovely grandchildren show the recurring theme of former Senator O'Brien's life. He was an amazing person having been a county councillor for 44 years, which is an enormous span of service in public life. He was chairman for two years and was a member of several bodies, including the General Council of County Councils, County Cavan Vocational Education Committee and Cavan Urban District Council. He received a medal of honour from Dr. Eamon Dwyer, the then chairman of Cavan UDC, for his work beyond the call of duty for the people of Cavan. He was a former member of the North Eastern Health Board and was a keen member of the Cavan drama festival.

There were many sides to him. He was a very rounded person, who served as president of the Ulster GAA Council, which is no mean feat to have achieved. He chaired the Cavan tidy towns committee. He won the Vodafone "passion for the world around us" award, which is given to those who are very integrated within the community. He served in the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th Seanad for the period from 1969 to 1987. He did not contest the Seanad election in 1987 and retired from public life in 1996. While in this House he served as spokesman for issues such as education, social welfare and the Gaeltacht. He is survived by his wife Mollie and seven children, Colm, Madeline, Niall, Brian, Myles, Fidelma and Malachy. He is also survived by his two sisters Rose O'Toole and Cherry Carter. I already mentioned his lovely grandchildren who are also here today.

While we often say it in this Chamber, his life was exceptionally varied and rooted in many organisations, having spent 44 years in public life. We can only imagine how many people's lives he touched in all his work in the county council, the VEC and his work as president of the Ulster GAA Council. He touched so many lives for good and is an example to us all. While his passing is extremely sad, we should also rejoice at his lifetime of service to the country.