Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be associated with the tributes to the late Jimmy Mulroy. I welcome his wife, Chris, and his family to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery, in the company of Deputy Seamus Kirk and the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, who is a former Member of this House.

I knew Jimmy Mulroy for many years from when he was elected to the county council and to the town council in 1985. While I never served in the House with him we met on numerous occasions during Seanad elections and in Leinster House. He struck me as a man who carried his responsibilities with the greatest of ease. He was never in bad form. He never carried a chip on his shoulder. He was a model in that sense. So many people carry chips on their shoulders or talk about others behind their backs but Jimmy Mulroy was none of that.

He had very satisfying careers as a politician and as a footballer and manager. He was a town councillor and a county councillor. He was a Senator. He ran for the Dáil and was just short of the post on both occasions and was very unlucky not to have been elected to Dáil Éireann. He was mayor of Drogheda and he was chairman of Louth County Council. Those are great honours to be bestowed on anyone - any one of which is a great honour - but he achieved all of those. He was a club footballer, winning nine county championships which is an extraordinary feat. It would be difficult to find many people in the country who have won nine county championship medals. He played county and club football for many years. He was a successful club and county football manager. He carried all those responsibilities with great ease and in my estimation he was a model man. He never looked his age - he looked about 50 even though he was in his 60s. That is a sign of how he carried his responsibilities. It was a great honour to know Jimmy Mulroy and he is a great loss to his wife, Chris, and to his family and also to Fianna Fáil and to County Louth. I wish to be associated with the very fine tributes paid by Members.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.