Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the Leader to propose the Order of Business, I know that Members were saddened to hear of the death of former Member of this House, former councillor and former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Carmencita Hederman. She was a politician and a great activist and environmentalist when environmentalism was not something that was spoken about. She was a champion of that cause but, in the 1960s, she was also a champion in protecting Georgian and Victorian Dublin from office block development. This led to her election in 1974. In 1987, she was the first woman in 30 years to be elected as Lord Mayor of the city of Dublin. She is fondly remembered from the celebrations of 1,000 years of the city of Dublin. She was a graduate of Trinity College and elected to the university panel of the Nineteenth Seanad in 1989. She was an advocate and strong voice for city councillors for 26 years. It was an amazing achievement for her and a great honour for her family. She was deeply loved by all the people in Connemara, where she spent a lot of her time climbing the mountains and enjoying the wilderness she so preciously protected. She was also a keen cyclist, an advocate and an inspirational figure for the many who came after her. To her children, Lucy, Linda, Wendy, William and Simon, to her sisters and to all her grandchildren, family and friends, ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis. I propose a minute's silence for Ms Hederman.

The Deputy Leader has offered the condolences of this House and I will also extend them. On behalf of the House, we will write to the family and friends of State Representative Melissa Hortman, who was recently killed, and to the representatives in Minnesota. She was in Ireland as part of the National Conference of State Legislatures and visited this House on a number of occasions. She led in Minnesota for many years. Unfortunately, her life and that of her husband were taken all too soon. I ask Members to be upstanding for a minute's silence.