Tánaiste and Uachtarán Fhianna Fáil, Micheál Martin TD has this evening paid tribute to Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West Éamon Ó Cuív, following an announcement of his decision to not contest the next General Election.
Paying tribute to Deputy Ó Cuív, Tánaiste and Uachtarán Fhianna Fáil, Micheál Martin TD said, "Eamon was an outstanding parliamentarian and Minister. He is extremely committed, hard working and diligent. He has been a tremendous public representative for the people of Galway West and Cornamora .
"I worked with Eamon both in the Dail and in cabinet, and subsequently in 2011 around the regeneration and revitalisation of the party. He is one of the most conscientious and dedicated politicians I’ve ever worked with.
"He had a long term commitment to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland and played an important role in the lead up to the Good Friday Agreement.
"In his capacity as Minister for the Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs, he was pioneering and innovative in terms of The Language Act and a new era of support for the Irish Language.
"He developed the CLÁR programme, which was the first of its kind in terms of support for rural Ireland.
"Eamon will be a huge loss to public life and I would like to pay tribute to his wife Áine and his children who gave him tremendous support throughout his career. ''
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