Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to join in the wonderful tributes to Senator Jimmy Mulroy made by the Leader of the House and the party representatives. It is a well-deserved tribute to a wonderful public representative and a Member of this House. I extend my sympathies to Chris, his beloved wife of 41 years, to his son, Cormac, daughters Caoimhe and Christine, son-in-law, John Comiskey, grandchildren, Evan and Tess, his sister, Helen and to his very good friend, former Minister and former Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Seamus Kirk, who worked with Jimmy over the years.

I got to know Jimmy when I was in the Department of Health in 1987 when he was a Senator. I knew of his concerns for hospital issues in County Louth, which were to the forefront of his work. He was appointed to the House by the late Charles J. Haughey who had great hopes for him as a Member of this House and as a possible future Minister. He certainly had the ability to be a Member of the Dáil and a Minister. I knew of his business involvement and the fact that he was producing a tremendous product. He employed people and was concerned with job creation in the constituency and in County Louth. His family can be very proud of him as a former mayor of Drogheda and chairman of Louth County Council. He achieved a lot in those roles. I always found him to be the most gentlemanly of men. His contributions in the House were always significant. His record of attendance was excellent and he took very seriously his membership of this House. He took his job seriously, whether that was in his role as a businessman, a mayor or a husband, father and grandfather. We are very privileged to have known him and I offer his family our deepest sympathy on their loss through his early death. God bless him and may he rest in peace.