Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sure colleagues will join me in congratulating Professor John Crown, who will receive the award for outstanding contribution to cancer medicine and research from the Irish Association for Cancer Research. This is an award that he richly deserves after decades of service and groundbreaking research. His work has been recognised internationally, but it is always important to be recognised by your home country. I am standing here because this is where John used to stand when he was a Senator. He served here for only one term and he found it all very frustrating because of course, in cancer research, you can get things measured and you know what outcomes are whereas in politics, it is quite a bit slower and more laborious than he was used to. However, he made a huge contribution in his time in Seanad Éireann. It is great that he is being recognised and given that award.

While he was here, John led the way on the legislation to ban smoking in cars in which children are present. That legislation came about on foot of one of the loopholes in the smoking laws. He led the campaign, and I was lucky enough to be a sponsor of the Bill. To see him in action was quite something. He became only the seventh Opposition Senator in the history of the State to have legislation passed, which underlines what an impact he had and the contribution he made. John also contributed in so many other ways. It is important that we recognise our former colleague, and as I used to address him when he was here, he was "Professor Dr. Professor Senator" John Crown.