Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I extend my sympathy to those unfortunate people who lost their lives in the horrific accident in Carrickmines at the weekend and also to Tony Golden, a man I knew personally and who worked in the communities of Carlingford, Omeath and the wider Cooley Peninsula. I extend my sympathies to Tony Golden's Garda colleagues in the Omeath-Carlingford branch and to gardaí in the wider Dundalk area. He was a true community garda. I read a description of him as a gentle giant and I endorse that statement. He was a gentle giant who went about his duties quietly and with great dignity. I had the privilege of knowing him and had a cup of tea with him only two weeks ago in Carlingford. He paid the ultimate price of his own life in going to help someone in his community who was suffering violence in her own home. People ask what would have happened if he had had the assistance of three or four gardaí. I believe they would have paid the same price. It was a truly devastating evening in the parish of Omeath and Carlingford, where we were celebrating the wonderful sporting feats of our rugby team that same Sunday. To hear the news was devastating. I extend my sympathies to his wife and family and to his wider family in County Mayo.