Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join other colleagues in paying tribute to our good friend and colleague, Senator Norris. He is the longest serving Senator since 1937, which is a great record to have. In paying tribute to him, as has been stated here, he was the champion of the underdog. He always took on causes that were not popular. As we all know, there was no sex in Ireland until 6 July 1962 when Gay Byrne and the "Late Late Show" came about and there were no gays in Ireland until 30 years and seven months ago, when Senator Norris started campaigning for equal rights in our society. I wish him well. As a conservative liberal, which is how I classify myself, I disagree with much of what he stands for. However, I stand for his right to campaign for it.