I wish to express our sincere sympathy on the deaths of Mr. Flor Crowley, Dr. Noel Browne and Mr. Lionel Booth. Mr. Crowley and Dr. Browne were Members of the Seanad while Mr. Booth was a former distinguished Deputy for Dún Laoghaire.
Mr. Flor Crowley began his active career in national politics in 1965 when he was first elected as a Fianna Fáil Deputy for the mid-Cork constituency. He served that constituency well for his remaining years. He had a distinguished career during which he served in both the Upper and Lower Houses. He was an active Member of the Oireachtas, particularly as a member of the Committee of Public Accounts.
The sad passing of Flor Crowley will leave many memories with those of us who knew him for many years. Flor, as we knew him, was a man who was larger than life. He was a great family man who always had a warm smile and kind word. He was always willing to lend a helping hand. He was a man of the people in every sense of the word. He was a great republican who came from a very strong Fianna Fáil tradition. Nothing in his life gave him greater joy or delight than seeing his son Brian become a Member of this House and then to go on to become a distinguished MEP. I knew him personally and got many pieces of good advice from him over the years. I convey the sympathy of this House to his wife, his son Brian and the rest of his family on their sad loss at such a young age.
I also propose a vote of sympathy to the family of the late Dr. Noel Browne. He will be remembered as a great man for many reasons, and first, for his courage in pursuing his beliefs. He was relentless in taking on great causes and was most impressive in arguing his case with all who dared to disagree with him. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Clann na Poblachta Deputy and was immediately appointed Minister for Health. He quickly instigated a campaign to eradicate tuberculosis, a disease that affected thousands of Irish families and that had already devastated his own family, claiming the lives of his father, mother and aunt. Noel himself also suffered from that disease.
Throughout his work on the eradication of tuberculosis and the mother and child scheme, Noel Browne always put the health and welfare of people at the top of the Government agenda. As Minister for Health he planned vigorously and set up a hospital building programme and ensured that the scourge of tuberculosis was eventually banished from our country. However, he should not be remembered only for the many practical arrangements he put in place. He should also be remembered for the challenging vision he possessed of an Ireland of the future which would bring about many innovations in health and social welfare services. These are services we now take too much for granted. Noel Browne lived in Athlone, where his father died, and he was a student at the Marist College there.
I propose a vote of sympathy for the sad passing of a legend of his time, a man who was a Member of both Houses. He was a Senator from 1973 to 1977.
I also sympathise with the Booth family on the sad passing of Lionel Booth, who represented the Cathaoirleach's constituency of Dún Laoghaire in Dáil Éireann for 12 years. An astute businessman, he was a pioneer in the business world. I sympathise with his family on his sad passing.