Alison Comyn (Fianna Fail)

There are many things one hopes never to have to raise in the House and unfortunately what happened in the small townland of Drumgowna just outside Tallanstown in County Louth yesterday morning is certainly one of those, with such a tragic loss of Mark, Louise and Evan O'Connor. It is not an exaggeration to say that there is a pall of shock and disbelief over the entire county and beyond into Monaghan at what happened. I know it is part of a Garda investigation and we will not go into further details but we send our sincere condolences to the entire family on what happened. They have been described as an integral part of the community and that really does not go deep enough. They were so loved and they were so active. They were a youthful, active couple. Mark ran the Boston marathon and Louise raised so many funds for the community. Evan had complex special needs and he attended the Drogheda ABACAS Special School of which Mark and Louise were founding members.Evan was one of the first two students who took part on 10 March 2003 and he stayed there for 14 years. Many families owe Mark and Louise a debt of gratitude for the amount of campaigning and lobbying they carried out. Of course, Evan then went on to attend the Praxis Care day care centre, also in Drogheda, where he was described as "everybody's little buddy" and he was "a bright shining star". For everybody right across the county and country, it has been shocking, and we send our heartfelt condolences to everybody in the O'Connor family.