Leo Varadkar pays tribute upon death of former MEP Alan Gillis

Tanáiste Leo Varadkar

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has expressed his condolences on the death of Alan Gillis, a Fine Gael stalwart and former MEP for Leinster.

Mr Gillis was president of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) in the early 1990s. He was elected to the European Parliament at the 1994 election.

Speaking from Fine Gael’s Agriculture and Rural Development conference in Tullamore, Co Offaly, Mr Varadkar said: “It was with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Alan Gillis, he was a real gentleman and liked by all who met him.

“A dedicated public representative, Gillis was elected as an MEP for Fine Gael in the Leinster Constituency in 1994. While there, he served on the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, putting Irish rural communities at the heart of Europe.

“A former President of the Irish Farmer’s Association, Gillis was a passionate determined and considerate representative both at home and abroad.

“My condolences go to his children, Nigel, Hazel, Barry and Anna, and his extended family.”