Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will follow the majority of those in the House by wishing the best to the Bruton family, in particular John's wife and siblings, including Richard, our close colleague, on the death of his brother, John. He was a unique individual. He was a TD and Minister, a Taoiseach and an ambassador, and overall he was a statesman. He will be sadly missed.

I got to know John during the 1994 by-elections. There was a unique situation in Cork in 1994 whereby by-elections were required both north and south of the River Lee. One was caused by the death of Labour Party TD Gerry O'Sullivan and the other was caused when then TD Pat Cox went to Europe. There were two by-elections in November 1994. This statesman came down to us for three and a half weeks and canvassed, worked and lived in Cork. We got an amazing result by winning the by-election on the southside of the city and there were knock-on implications because five weeks later, he was made Taoiseach because of the change in the configuration in numbers and other issues that happened nationally. I will never forget his commitment on the ground. He worked from 7 a.m. all the way through the 20-plus days he spent down there. He was a party leader and statesman who was not afraid of the work and the grind. He was not afraid of getting out there. Those by-elections were my first times in politics and I remember the buzz of the whole situation. Winning a by-election was unique. Former Deputy Hugh Coveney, who won the by-election, was a member of our branch in Minane Bridge. At the time, we were part of Cork South-Central before the constituency changed. It really was a special occasion. I will never forget John's commitment and the speeches he gave night after night were powerful. The knock-on implication was that five weeks later, he was Taoiseach because of things that happened nationally and the change in the local figures.

He was a grounded man. He had many things going for him. He could talk to the Pope and the farmer in the street at the same time. He had the ability to go full circle, which is unique in politics. It is a really good characteristic of any individual. From my first interaction with politics, he was an important figure in my life. He will be sadly missed. My sympathies go to Richard and the entire family. He truly was a pure statesman.