Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I wish to express my deepest sympathy to Mary and to Kieran's four daughters, son, brothers and sisters and to his dear mother, Delia, whom he loved. He was always delighted to visit her every Tuesday morning and to have a cup of tea and talk about the goings on in the country and in the wider community outside County Laois. Kieran was a good man. He was a good family man and very good humoured. Kieran was great crack.

He loved his family and the people of his electoral area and Rathdowney. When Kieran passed away so suddenly, the way the community of Rathdowney looked after everything was second to none. Members of this House saw this at his removal and funeral. The work he did as a public representative and how highly he was thought of in his community showed at his funeral.

Kieran's family - his brothers and sisters, his wife, Mary, and his mother, Delia - have lost a great friend, but Kieran was a friend to each and every Member of this House. Party did not come into it. He loved to get into the Cathaoirleach's chair. He would have loved to be in your place, a Chathaoirligh. You put him in the Chair on a few occasions and he loved it.