An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-22
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Mike Kennelly (FG), Labour Panel

I want to say a few words on the passing of Gerard Lynch, our former Kerry county councillor and town councillor, former TD and former Senator from Listowel, my home town. Gerard Lynch served in the Dáil from 1969 to 1977 and later in the Seanad from 1977 to 1981. Across those years, Gerard gave steady, committed service to the people of North Kerry and indeed to the country as a whole. Gerard Lynch was known - as the Leas-Chathaoirleach nicely put it - for his decency, fairness and genuine commitment to public service.
He brought the values of rural Kerry and rural north Kerry into national life, as well as his honesty, hard work and understanding of the people he represented. His focus was never on headlines; it was on helping people and improving life in his own community. He stood up for farmers, small businesses and local families, and he carried the concerns of north Kerry with him every day he served.
Outside of politics, Gerard was a neighbour and a community man, someone who gave his time generously and contributed quietly to the life of Listowel and the surrounding parishes. His loss will be felt by many and I offer my sincere sympathies to his family - his wife, Margo, and his children, Mary, Geraldine, Seamus, Paddy, Catherine, Ann, Norma, Bernadette, Mags and, indeed, his late son John. I offer my sincere sympathies to Gerard's family, his Fine Gael family and all who mourn him.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:32+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-22