Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Phelan family to the Visitors Gallery, including his mother, Delia, his wife, Mary, and his four daughters. Unfortunately, Patrick is unable to attend because he is in Australia. Kieran was the eldest of a family of 18 and most of his brothers and sisters are here to acknowledge the tributes being paid to their late, great brother.

I first met him while canvassing for the 2002 Seanad elections and I liked him immediately after being struck by his infectious laugh. I am glad to say we were both successful in that election and we subsequently became great friends.

Kieran was dedicated to his family. He was married to Mary for 37 years. He was shy about these matters but I discovered on the night of his wake in Rathdowney that he dated her since they were both teenagers. He was dedicated to his five children, Fiona, Martina, Brenda, Aisling and Patrick. He adored his mother, Delia, and rushed to Dublin every Tuesday morning to meet her for tea and toast and fill her in on the previous week's news from Rathdowney. We used to joke that he was always the first in on a Tuesday. On Thursday mornings he brought his briefcase with him to the Order of Business and he tried to be the first out of here.

Kieran was very proud of his late father, Paddy, who was also a member of Laois County Council. He was immensely proud of his brothers and sisters, all of whom were regularly mentioned by him. He took great pleasure in their success. When I and others would slag him about the millionaire Phelans, he would say "they all have money except Mammy and me". He had other loves as well. He enjoyed farming, cattle and, in particular, cattle dealing. If one happened to walk into his office, he would invariably be on the telephone to Brendan, telling him to "buy, buy, buy". In all the years I knew him, I never heard him saying "sell, sell, sell".

Kieran was dedicated to politics. As Senators Cassidy and Fitzgerald said, he was committed to the people of the Borris-in-Ossory electoral area, whom he served on Laois County Council. He was committed to County Laois and to the Seanad. He had 100% attendance in this House until the time of his death. He worked very hard on behalf of his constituents. He would bring a bundle of representations to Dublin every Tuesday. He would have dealt with them all by Wednesday evening, when he could relax and have a drink because all of his constituents had been sorted out.

Kieran can be summed up as an honourable and decent man. He was loyal and trustworthy. His word was his bond.