Members will have been saddened to hear of the death on Friday of former Senator and MEP Brian Crowley. His life, as described by his brother yesterday at the funeral, was defined by family, friends, faith and fun. The thing Brian always said is that when people need your help, you should be there for them. This was informed by his incredible faith. As Niall said, if Brian does not have a front-row seat in heaven, the rest of us are in serious trouble. Brian was born into a family deeply connected to public life. He grew up immersed in constituency politics, spending weekends with his father Flor, going around the constituency clinics in Cork listening to the people.

At the age of 16, he sustained life-transforming injuries, being permanently paralysed in the lower limbs. Despite the life-changing events, he continued to pursue his ambitions with determination, after a period of rehabilitation in Dublin. His mother and father were told that he would not live beyond the age of 25 when they met with the consultants. He beat those odds, as he beat many other odds. He studied law and became increasingly active in politics, being appointed in 1993 to this House by the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. In 1994, he sought a place on the Fianna Fáil ticket for the election to the European Parliament at the convention in Cork City Hall, where I voted for him myself for the first time. This marked the beginning of an extensive run of electoral successes, from 1994 to 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014, representing Munster and then Ireland South in the European Parliament. His constituency performance was such that you could weigh his votes easier than you could count them. During his time in Europe, he spent a lot of time on the ground at constituency focus. His personal engagement with voters all across Munster was widely recognised, doing extensive door-to-door canvasses - unusual for European elections. He was a once-in-a-generation politician who was greatly supported by Manus O'Callaghan and Annette Lawson. We spent many an hour on the campaign trail together.

His European career included contributions to various legislation. A notable one was extending copyright protection in the European Union for the music industry, which he loved so much.

Throughout his time in Europe, Brian advocated strongly for people on the margins, drawing from his own experience. His presence in Leinster House alone meant that it had to be made wheelchair accessible for the first time.

Brian Crowley faced long periods of illness during his later years as a Member of the European Parliament, spending long periods in Ward 2B in Cork University Hospital. His family and all of us extend our greatest gratitude to the staff there.

He retired in 2019 after 25 years of public service in Europe. In addition to his political life, Brian had a deep interest in music and community. Before entering public life, he fronted the band Galaxy, performing on many an occasion at the Rose of Tralee and throughout Munster. His musical ability, humour and sociability were often remembered by family, friends and colleagues this week, and he often performed at Shanley's Bar in Cork. The fact that the song “The Wonder of You” was sung at his funeral was a fitting tribute to Brian.

He received recognition outside of electoral politics, including membership of the Council of State during the Presidency of Mary McAleese. His influence was not only through his electoral record but an example of his life in public service was his great reputation with his European colleagues. Beyond his public achievement, he was devoted to family.

On behalf of this House, I wish to express our deepest condolences to his mother, Sally, his brother Niall, and his sisters Maeve, Deirdre and Fiona. I ask Members to be upstanding.