Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

I got to know Peter in 1991 when he was canvassing with his son, Denis. I still remember him coming into my home, taking a seat and producing a pipe. He struck me as a person who was there to entertain me. He was not in any hurry and when my wife produced a cake, he had a large slice of it. When she told him the cake came from a previous canvasser - the person in question has also passed away since - Peter said it was lovely and asked if he could take some with him to give to someone else.

Peter was a man of great warmth who had a tremendous heart. He often said he loved his work in the Seanad and described it as his life. If he started to tell a story, one had to be prepared to listen for at least half an hour. He would talk about the hospitals he visited and what he told the doctors to look for when they could not find anything, and he was right. That was Peter.

Peter loved his native county and often spoke about it. He was also a man of tremendous faith who loved his family, about whom he often spoke, and people in general. He was a genuine person and once told me not to demean anyone. I would sum up his attitude by saying he never looked down on anybody. The only time he would look down on one was to help to pick one up. That is the type of person he was.

Peter loved the camaraderie and competitiveness in the House and made lasting friendships here. I will tell one funny story about him. One night he and Senator Francis O'Brien were in a local hostelry. Although Peter did not drink, he hung on and drank a lemonade or something similar. Senator O'Brien also hung on and I asked myself which of the two would stick out the evening the longest. Peter finally decided to go to bed, at which point Francis asked me if he could have the vote back.

One day, when Peter read a little poem which hangs in my office - I got it from a priest - he asked if he could have a copy. It reads something like this:

Green leaves may wither,

Fond hearts may die,

Friends may forget you,

But never will I.

When the Angelus bells are ringing

And calling me to pray,

I will always think of you,

Although I may be miles and miles away.

I hope Peter has that poem and expect he is probably reading it now. The best thing one can say about anybody can be put in three words. To sum up Peter, he was "a sound man". I extend my deepest sympathy to his family on their sad loss.