Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I speak as a Cavan man, on behalf of my colleagues in the Fianna Fáil party and as a personal friend of Senator Joe O'Reilly for many decades, even though I am far younger than him. If times were different - I hope they will be in the not too distant future - we would be welcoming his wife, Mary Tully. Senator McGahon has referred to her. She is a native of Roscommon. It was not until Mary Tully encountered the then Councillor Joe O'Reilly that he started to be formed properly into the person we see before us on a daily basis in this House. Mary is a public health nurse and, along with her colleagues, has done Trojan work to ensure the people of Bailieborough and east Cavan have been well looked after during the Covid-19 crisis. I would also like to refer to his sons, Alexius, Eoghan and Daire, all three of whom I have known from when they were young children. They are a credit to both Joe and Mary. I know that Senator Joe O'Reilly would want me to mention his late brother Alexis, to whom he was very close, as well as his sisters Caroline and Bea. I am deeply indebted to our colleague, Sean McKiernan, a former a member of Cavan County Council, for filling in some of the blanks among the few brief words I have to say about Senator O'Reilly.

Bearing in mind that we are privileged and speak under privilege when we speak in this House, I am aware of the high legal qualification that Senator O'Reilly has. In order not to libel him I will put down some words to give the House a slight background to the man who we will be voting for here today. Before I do that I want to pay tribute to Senator Fintan Warfield. I know that his day will eventually come.