Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I rise to reflect and pass on my deepest sympathies and condolences, along with my party, Fianna Fáil, and, indeed, the entire House, to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. David Hill. He was over at the weekend representing the Scottish Parliament and passed away during the match against the Oireachtas rugby team, the Dáil and Seanad XV, early on Saturday afternoon. I met Mr. Hill the previous night at an engagement that the Scottish office had organised. I am wearing my Scotland and Ireland flags today in his memory. He was an absolute gentleman. He was a really lovely human being. He loved politics and he loved rugby even more. They all travelled over on Friday in various different ways - some got direct flights from Scotland, some came via Heathrow and so on. He was just a really lovely gentleman. Respect and tributes have come in from all over and particularly from the Scottish political sphere, including everybody from Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, to the leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland. Some of the tributes note that he was calm, helpful, professional, kind, generous, well liked and highly respected. To his family, his parents, Rodger and Sharon; his brother, Alex; his sister, Georgia; his nephews, Freddie and Hunter; all of his colleagues in Scottish Parliament; and all of his friends, I just would like to send the deepest sympathies and condolences not just from myself and my party, but from the whole House. It was an absolute tragedy. It was something that we never expect to happen in a fairly amateur match. I know many Members of this House have played in similar events in the past. It is an absolute tragedy. If it is appropriate, I ask that we have a minute's silence in his honour and memory at the end of this Order of Business. Hopefully, there might be a time when the joint Houses here and perhaps the house in Scotland, Holyrood, where he was so well liked and he did so much for that rugby team, particularly, in the Scottish Parliament, can do something in the future to respect and remember him again. I hope we can agree on a minute's silence.