With your permission, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I would be grateful, as we did not realise this was the last sitting day before the retirement of the Captain of the Guard, Commandant Cathal Ó Laoghaire, if we could interrupt proceedings briefly so that the Members of the House who worked with him since he came here in April 1977 — I remember it well — could pay tribute to him to mark his imminent retirement.
Commandant Ó Laoghaire served this House very well. He managed the affairs of the House, looked after the security of Members and staff with all the care one would expect of someone who has given distinguished service to this State in the national army. He served in the Defence Forces for 25 years; in the first Irish Army contingent he served in the Congo, he served twice in Cyprus, in the Middle East as a company commander and was assistant officer commanding the military defences at Government Buildings prior to his appointment as Captain of the Guard. Prior to all that he had a very distinguished career in another capacity. He was a member of the Dublin All-Ireland winning team of 1958 and is the holder of six Leinster championship medals. Those were the days when Dublin could count on winning championships regularly.