During the recess, members of the House learned with deep regret of the death of Deputy David J. Madden. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam.
Deputy Madden was of a kind, courteous and charitable disposition, and his passing will be keenly felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him. He was never happier than when doing some good turn or helping a worthy cause. He will be sadly missed by his constituents, for whose welfare and interests he was a tireless worker for a number of years.
From an early age, the late Deputy took a keen interest in the affairs of his country and was closely associated with various organisations devoted to the national cause. During the War of Independence he was appointed a Justice of the Republican Courts. He first became a member of one of the Houses of the Oireachtas in 1938, when he was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Industrial and Commercial Panel. He remained a member of that body until 1948, when he was returned to this House as one of the representatives for West Limerick. An eloquent and capable speaker, he made many useful contributions in both Houses to the debates on national and economic topics. Until recent months, when his health began to deteriorate, Deputy Madden attended assiduously to his parliamentary duties and was rarely absent from a sitting during his membership of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Since 1925 he was a member of the Limerick County Council, and, from 1925 to 1952, a member of the Governing Body of University College, Cork. He was very interested in the tourist industry and was for many years a member of the board of directors of the Irish Tourist Association.
I ask you, a Cheann Comhairle, to convey to his widow and relatives the sympathy of Dáil Éireann.
Deputies rose in their places.