Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The loss of a loved one is a very traumatic and harrowing experience for any person, but the loss of a loved one who is living abroad is an even more stressful and harrowing predicament. That is the situation in which Colin and Eithne Bell found themselves when their son, Kevin, died tragically while living abroad in 2013. The family was heartbroken and shocked, as Members will imagine, and they turned to their local community. That community raised funds that helped to bring Kevin back to his grieving parents. From the surplus of funds, Colin and Eithne Bell set up the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. Despite being heartbroken by the loss of their own son, seven years later the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust has helped to bring home 1,000 Irish people who lost their lives while living abroad. As many Members will know, the trust can take over the arrangements and costs of bringing a loved one home. As a nation, I feel we owe Colin and Eithne Bell and everyone involved in the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust a huge debt of gratitude and thanks for their fantastic work. Now, when somebody gets that dreaded phone call about a loved one passing away while abroad and contacts the Department of Foreign Affairs, that Department will put him or her in direct contact with the trust. I am sure the Cathaoirleach will join me in thanking Colin and Eithne Bell for the fantastic work they have done in the last seven years despite being heartbroken by the loss of their son, Kevin.