I am grateful to you, Sir, to the Taoiseach and to the members of the Dáil for giving me this opportunity of paying my tribute, however inadequate it may be, to Mr. William Cosgrave. I appreciate more than anything else that it has become my privilege to pay that inadequate tribute in Dáil Éireann because to Mr. William Cosgrave more than any other person is due the fact that we are here today in the Dáil. He was a great parliamentarian. Many parliamentarians have come since to the Dáil but he was the first and, in my view, the greatest. It was through his efforts, through his sacrifice, through his courage, tact and determination, that this Dáil and the Parliament of this State were laid on firm and unassailable foundations.
It would be proper certainly that I should, without reference to or in any way hinting at the stormy and difficult times he went through from 1922 to 1932, dwell for a moment on the help he got, the invaluable help without which his own work would have been unavailing, from the late Mr. Tom Johnson, the Leader of the Labour Party. Between them, in the difficult conditions then existing—with Mr. Johnson as Leader of the Opposition at that time—and the work they did together here in full co-operation, they laid the foundations of this Dáil and Parliament of this State strongly and very firmly indeed. Without that co-operation, it is very doubtful if we would be here today. They were matters all associated with the leadership and the headlines set by the late Mr. Cosgrave, and with the assistance of other persons, some of whom are still with us, the traditions of this Dáil were laid and have since been maintained and are still being maintained today. For that reason, in the very few words I have time to say in tribute to his memory, I should like to point to that, his principal achievement, his main contribution to his country.
Throughout the years, when difficult decisions had to be made, he made them with determination, with calmness and always without bitterness, and in those difficult days, during the time when he had very many strange and difficult tasks to fulfil, he did them from the faith that was in him and from the belief that he had in this country—that this country would emerge as it has, triumphant, able to take its place, as it has, with its head high among the nations of the world. Through those years it was my privilege to be closely associated with him in practically all his activities. I was his adviser and, as I said in a statement to the Press last night, his colleague, but above all, what I regard as most valuable from my point of view, I was his friend, and I can therefore pay tribute and give testimony today—perhaps it is not needed—to any of his colleagues still here but also to the younger people who perhaps do not know and will not know for some time until the records of his achievements are available.
He led successive Governments of this State during a very stormy period; he had to command a group of people, to keep them together in a manner that has never been surpassed and perhaps never will be surpassed. He led that team of strong personalities. You can imagine what it is to have a driver driving a team of high-spirited horses. He led that team with determination along the paths that have brought us to our present position. Among other things, he laid down the most valuable national basis, the conditions of parliamentary institutions. He founded the Civil Service, the judiciary, the rule of law in this country, and in all that time there was nobody you could meet anywhere who was so simple, so sincere, so completely oblivious and forgetful of and not caring about his own political future and advancement. He was ready to give up his life in the times before the Treaty—the 1916 period. That was courage of a high order.
Perhaps in his subsequent career as Leader of the Government and later in Opposition, he had to take decisions which required far more courage, physical and moral, than are required to lay down one's life for one's country. It would be impossible for me to say all I should like to say to put on the records of this House what I know to be his achievements, but I think it will be recognised throughout the country in the years to come that here was a simple man, a man who did not want Government, who did not want political advancement but felt the call of duty and accepted it at whatever risk to his political life or to his own fortunes was involved in it.
This tribute can only be very inadequate. The late Mr. Cosgrave did many things for this country which I believe will be recognised in the years to come and more and more appreciated as the bitterness and the feelings of the past go into much wished for oblivion. He wanted all past bitterness wiped out. He wanted the people to work for Ireland and in the cause of Ireland and he gave them great example in his own life and achievements.
