Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----many is the big coup he was involved in, though he might not always tell one about it. He was a lifelong member of the grand alliance racing syndicate which was made up of racing aficianados in the Dáil and Seanad. It mostly included Members from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the great Des O'Malley was involved as well. I welcome his daughter Fiona to the House. The syndicate had phenomenal success with good horses such as Arctic Copper and Donna's Palm. I was allowed in towards the end and we had great luck with a horse called Tulsa Jack, which was trained by Noel Meade. In racing, as in politics, Rory gave it everything. Tulsa Jack ran one cold wintry day in Downpatrick, which is a long way from Feenagh. Most of the syndicate cried off and watched it on television but Rory was there leading the horse, and he well into his 80s. That is the kind of commitment and energy that set him apart.

Rory was involved in life to the very end. Not for him were the carpet slippers and the television, apart from "At the Races", of course. I called to see him one evening and could not find a chair to sit on as they were all full of national newspapers, farming journals, racing bulletins, and GAA programmes. He campaigned for years as a Seanadóir to get an elevator for the elderly at Charleville railway station. He tasked me with completing that job when I was elected, and I am glad to say he and his neighbours got the benefit of that lift in his final years.

Mar fhocal scoir, guím rath Dé ar Rory, Eileen agus ar an gclann Kiely uile. In remembering Rory's life, personality, and achievements in sport and politics, we are celebrating a true one-off. He was a man of honour and integrity. He knew the value of loyalty and truth, which were very important to him, and he lived a full, happy and contented life among the people he loved.