The Fine Gael Senator, who was 35 years old, passed away on March 11, 1974.

The Taoiseach said he wished to invite Mr. Fox's family, friends, and community to the occasion, marking 50 years since his killing.

According to Mr Harris, Mr Fox served with distinction and brought up concerns like the British Army shooting tear gas canisters and plastic bullets across the border into the Republic.

According to the Taoiseach, he was a man of peace who gave back to his community and wished for universal justice.

He described Mr. Fox as a brave and strong guy who did not hesitate to condemn and denounce the British government at the time for purposefully damaging border roads.

While in Leinster House, Mr. Fox stayed in the same room as John Bruton, the previous Taoiseach, whose wife Finola also attended.

In order to commemorate Mr. Fox, the Taoiseach stated that he intended to defend the rights and interests of everyone who had been harmed by the Troubles.


“We need to see a process that is victim-centred, aligned with human rights, and embedded with the letter and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement to deal with legacy and reconciliation,” he stated.

“To me, that is what a reset of Anglo-Irish relations looks like.”

The Taoiseach said that the Republic has been extremely fortunate in that assassinations of public officials have been quite rare, with Mr. Fox being the sole one killed.

But he continued, saying, “We should never take that for granted. We need to reduce the level of poison in public discourse right now.”

“And each of us is responsible for that in some way. In addition to mourning Billy Fox today, let's make a commitment to ensuring that public office holders may always do so in a way that protects them, their families, and their communities.”