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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 1

Death of Member: Expression of Sympathy.

It is now our sad duty to reflect on the untimely passing of a dear parliamentary colleague, Senator Gordon Wilson. I call on the Minister for Finance, Deputy Quinn, to move the vote of condolence.

The news of Senator Gordon Wilson's death is truly tragic and I know all Members will joint with me, on behalf of the Government, in offering sincere condolences to his family and many friends.

I am sure none of us forgets the extraordinary sentiments expressed by Gordon Wilson in describing how his daughter died some years ago. He embodied for all of us that unique courage and capability of rising above the tragedy that shattered not only his family but, in many ways, this island. I am sure many took courage from his courage in believing that there was a prospect of peace and reconciliation among people of different traditions on this island.

He was appointed by the former Taoiseach, Deputy Reynolds, to the Seanad in a most welcome gesture, a decision that I am sure was welcomed by all Members. His contribution to the Seanad, both formal and informal, was valued by everybody in both Houses. He subsequently became a member of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. Anybody who was touched by Gordon Wilson could not but be struck by his commitment to this island and all its people. He was from the Methodist tradition imbued with the spirit of John Wesley, a non-conformist in many respects, but passionately committed to the rich tapestry of cultures and diversity that makes up this island. His family suffered another tragedy recently in the death of his son.

I personally and on behalf of the Government extend sincere condolences to all members of his family. We have lost a trusted and valued Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas and a great Irish person.

I join with the Minister in this expression of sympathy. The nation will be shocked and saddened by the tragic death of our good colleague, the late Senator Gordon Wilson. As the Minister stated, he caught the imagination of the whole world by his dignified and moving account of his last conversation with his daughter, Marie, following the horrific explosions in Enniskillen in November, 1987. Many on this island offered condolences on that occasion. It was an incident of the troubles that showed people that there must be another way. More than any person, I believe he personified the deep yearning for peace throughout the country. He always spoke from the heart and peace was his bottom line.

His nomination to the Seanad by the former Taoiseach, Deputy Reynolds, was supported by everybody in this country, as was his later nomination by the same Taoiseach to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, representing a recognition of the universal respect in which he was held and a reflection of his continuous commitment to peace which he pleaded with others to follow.

The late Senator Gordon Wilson was a very brave, courageous man who said what he thought and treated everybody with the same gentleness, courtesy and good humour. In his own way he was a very good story teller and character and made a very valuable, personal, thoughtful contribution to the deliberations at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation when he attended its regular Friday meetings. He was anxious to represent the voice of the Northern Protestant community in the South, while always making the point that he was not their representative in any elected capacity.

He was enormously heartened by the ceasefires. Two Fridays ago I spoke to him while we drank the usual cups of tea before, during and after the meetings of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, when he voiced his strong view that the peace would hold and be tremendously successful. He believed that to be a tribute to the plain people of Ireland. He longed for peace. I know that both inside and outside the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation his spirit was one of forgiveness and reconciliation, evidenced within his family in a manner not so evident in any other family nationwide.

The late Senator Gordon Wilson will be deeply missed. On behalf of my party I offer my deepest sympathy to his wife, Joan, to the other members of his family who have suffered so much, and to his many personal friends. I also send our sympathy to the people of Enniskillen in association with whom the late Senator Gordon Wilson will always be remembered by Members. We salute a man who, through personal tragedy, was a tremendous example of forgiveness and reconciliation, whose vision contributed to peace on this island, whose life and humanity straddled all borders. We were all honoured to have known the late Senator Gordon Wilson, unfortunately for too brief a period.

May he rest in peace.

The life of the late Senator Gordon Wilson had a profound impact on this island and beyond. Through the darkness and misery of violence over very many years, including his own personal tragedies, his gentle, clear voice touched us all.

In his first speech in the Seanad he said: "I only ask for your good wishes and prayers that I get the grace to live up to the expectations and hopes that have been asked of me." He did. Every one of us in Leinster House, every TD and Senator, in addition to every member of the staff, now has the aching feeling of knowing they have lost a dear friend. As Senator Wilson moved around the House invariably he left smiling faces in his wake; he was interested in everybody's concerns. No words are adequate to capture Gordon's courage, his vast resource of humanity and Christianity.

Two years ago, again in Seanad Éireann, he said: "We all have the capacity for good as well as for evil but, more importantly, we have the capacity to change".

Gordon made a vast contribution to the process of change which has brought light to this island, North and South.

On behalf of the Taoiseach, Leader of the Fine Gael Party and my party. I offer my deepest sympathy to Gordon's wife, Joan, his daughter, Julie Ann and the many friends he leaves behind. We will all miss him tremendously.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

The cruel and sudden death of Senator Gordon Wilson shocked us all. As others said, he personified forgiveness and reconciliation ever since he came to ours and the world's attention on that famous bleak day in 1987 when he lay in the rubble after the Enniskillen Remembrance Day atrocity as his daughter, Marie, died. In Gordon Wilson we saw then, on the one hand, the tragedy of Northern Ireland and, on the other, the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation required if we are to build a lasting and durable settlement.

His selection as a Member of Seanad Éireann by the former Taoiseach, Deputy Reynolds, was an inspired one. We have all been privileged to have had him as a colleague over the past two and a half years. The late Gordon Wilson was no ordinary person; he was a big man in every sense, an extraordinary human being. He had a great sense of humour, he was tall, emotionally strong and had an intellectual capacity many often underestimated. I remember at the opening session of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, when many of us felt a little uneasy having to work with people whose raison d'être and methods we had vigorously attacked and bitterly opposed, I looked at the late Senator Gordon Wilson and his spirit of forgiveness, I felt I had no right to object. In everything he did and said at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation he demonstrated that forgiveness and made no exceptions. It cannot have been easy for him to have mixed with some delegates, yet he made no exceptions. He was indeed a role model of forgiveness and reconciliation for all of us.

Despite the fact that the late Senator Gordon Wilson represented moderate Unionist opinion in Northern Ireland — and was never afraid to spell out clearly what that meant — neither was he afraid to criticise the lack of leadership among the Unionist community and their failure to negotiate and be moderate. I will quote from his speech at the opening session of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation about the need for moderation:

Maybe coming from my background I can say how difficult it is for all of us to compromise because that can be seen as a dirty word, implying a rejection of one's heritage and a betrayal of one's background. Accommodation is not a betrayal but maturity. It is the sort of maturity to which we must aspire in this country if we are to go forward and not be so obsessed with looking backwards all the time.

I think it was 13 January last when the late Senator Gordon Wilson made his submission to the Forum for Peace and reconciliation on the cause of the problem and gave his ideas on what was required for a political settlement in Northern Ireland. He quoted the words of the Ulster poet, John Hewitt, from his "Memorandum for the Moderates" as follows. I could find no more fitting epitaph than these words:

Speak peace and toleration;

moderate your tone of voice and everywhere avoid what might provoke;

good will must be deployed in efforts to restore our balanced state;

to long-held views sincere give proper weight;

one brief rash word and all might be destroyed.

That would be a fitting epitaph to the late Senator Gordon Wilson because in everything he said and did, he was indeed a man of peace.

I offer my sincere sympathy and that of my party to his wife, Joan and his daughter, Julie Ann. I know he had been really looking forward to Joan's retirement when he had hoped she would have been able to spend much more time with him in Dublin and elsewhere as he constantly travelled around the country, always willing to accept invitations even when sometimes it was very difficult for him. I can think of no two women who have suffered more devastation and heartbreak than they have, having lost so much. Life at times appears to be so unfair to some.

Perhaps the greatest tribute we can build to the memory of the late Senator Gordon Wilson is to continue to work for the tolerant, moderate Ireland he spent his life trying to build. If we leave no stone unturned seeking to consolidate the peace process, then we shall have paid a great tribute to an extraordinary man and wonderful colleague.

Like everyone in this House and outside it, I was stunned to hear of the sudden death early today of Senator Gordon Wilson.

Senator Wilson was a truly remarkable man whose courage and resilience was an inspiration to people of all religions, of none, and to those of virtually every political persuasion. The dignified manner in which he responded to the brutal murder of his daughter, Marie, in the Enniskillen Remembrance Day massacre played no small part in creating the climate of public opinion which led ultimately to the ceasefires on the part of the Nationalist and Loyalist paramilitaries last year. His willingness to share his awful grief with the public, his courage in engaging in dialogue with those responsible for the murder of his beloved Marie and his determination to challenge bigotry and intolerance wherever and whenever he met them left an indelible impression on the public mind.

The fact that he was willing to accept the nomination of the then Taoiseach, Deputy Reynolds, to be a Member of Seanad Éireann, despite the opposition of many of his own community, typified the courage of Gordon Wilson. I got to know him ony when we both became members of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. It was perhaps in that arena that he made his most significant contribution to Irish society, with his knowledge and understanding of the Unionist community, his ability to put their point of view while being prepared to listen and endeavour to understand those with whom he disagreed which provided a unique dimension to the deliberations of the forum. The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, the Oireachtas and all the people of this island are the poorer for the loss of this remarkable man.

Today our thoughts must also turn to Gordon's widow, Joan, who, in a short time lost her daughter and son and now, her husband. Within a few short years Mrs. Wilson had had to endure more suffering and loss than anyone should be expected to bear in a lifetime. On behalf of Democratic Left, North and South, I extend to Joan and to her daughter, Julie Ann, my deepest sympathy and condolences.

I, too, was shocked and saddened by the untimely death of our esteemed Oireachtas colleague, Senator Gordon Wilson. He was a good, gentle and kind man who possessed incredible courage and deep conviction. I was honoured, as were all of us in the Oireachtas, when he accepted my offer of an appointment to Seanad Éireann to represent the changing times and the need for a change. We were all delighted when he also accepted a nomination to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation for he, above all other people in this country, personified peace and reconciliation. He recognised the need for change, he preached the message of change and carried his message of forgiveness and reconciliation of all parts and traditions of this country. He was a shining example to all of us. He led by example. We must continue to carry the message of Senator Gordon Wilson in the days, months and years ahead so that we can all finish the job in which he so enthusiastically participated.

It is difficult to understand how the Wilson family were asked to bear such an unbearable burden of tragedy but Senator Wilson accepted his cross and he wanted to share with everybody his innermost thoughts of forgiveness and reconciliation. To his wife, his daughter and his many friends, both nationally and internationally, I wish to say that all of us in the Oireachtas will miss him badly but we will follow the example he set. Go ndeanadh Dia trocaire ar a anam.

Senator Wilson was so full of life and love of life and was so peaceful and outspoken that it is hard to believe he will not speak to us again. It was an honour and a privilege to have known him. I served with him on the Forum of Peace and Reconciliation. While all members of the forum are able and well intentioned he was perhaps the one we could least afford to lose. In terms of his contribution to the forum he will be irreplaceable.

Senator Wilson spoke with an honesty and a clarity which transcended the popularity-seeking that is sometimes associated with politics. He said exactly what was on his mind and he was prepared to try anything that would bring peace. He was prepared to speak to members of the IRA when many were entrenched in their views regarding them and would not dream of speaking of such a prospect. As a southern Protestant, whose late cousin was a Methodist clergyman in the North, we often discussed options and implications because he was a man who considered everything very carefully. He had a great sense of humour and we must remember that when we mourn his passing.

Having voiced his options publicly, Senator Wilson would often say, "I am not looking forward to talking to some people when I go home tonight", but he said it in such a way that one knew it would not divert him from the path of peace on which he had embarked. He had a way of letting people know that if he made statements with which they did not agree, they were not made with any personal malice but merely with reconciliation as the objective. To that end, we have a fine example to follow in Gordon Wilson. Go ndeanadh Dia trocaire ar a anam agus go raibh gach rath ar a clann, ar a bhean agus ar a iníonn.

On behalf of the Independent Deputies, I wish to extend our sincere sympathy to the family of the late Senator Gordon Wilson, a man whose name will forever be synonymous with peace on this island. What better memorial could one ask for? Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

The late Senator Gordon Wilson was a fellow Ulsterman and Northerner, although he was born in County Leitrim. As someone who comes from the other tradition in the North and who knew Gordon Wilson even before the tragic events in Enniskillen and his appointment to the Seanad, I wish to pay tribute to him.

There are two things that ought to be understood and remembered about Gordon Wilson. The first is his Christianity. He symbolised Christianity and was a member of a certain section of Northern Protestantism to which the phrase "a true Christian gentleman" very much applies. All of Gordon Wilson's thoughts and actions were Christian. I had a long conversation with him recently about the North and the prospects for peace. Of course, he never recovered from the tragic death of his daughter, Marie, in 1987. He told me he had not had a full night's sleep since then. He confessed to me that it was only his deep Christianity which kept him from "finding the waters of Lough Erne very inviting". That is an illustration of the torment through which Senator Wilson lived.

The second thing I will remember about Senator Wilson and which made his position on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation so fitting was the emphasis he always placed on reconciliation. Like Deputy Harney, I had reservations, when I attended the first meeting of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, in relation to some of the participants but having spoken with Gordon Wilson, I decided that if he could forgive, there was no reason for me or anyone else at the forum to be bitter. That must be the lesson for the future.

We in this House should dedicate ourselves, through the forum and in every other way possible, to building a future without violence. Such commitment would be a fitting tribute to Gordon Wilson. We must do everything in our power to ensure that never again will there be tragedies such as the murder of Marie Wilson or the many other horrific events that marked those years of the troubles in Northern Ireland.

I join others who have expressed their sympathy to Joan and to Julie Ann. I know Gordon was looking forward to Joan retiring from her position as a music teacher and of buying or renting a place in this city so that she could share more fully in the part he played in politics in this community. He worked too hard and committed himself too much, but that was in the nature of the true Christian gentleman he was.

I briefly seek the indulgence of the Chair to be associated with the comments made. Much has been said of the bravery of Senator Gordon Wilson and the appalling things he had to endure in his lifetime. I agree with the comments, they were well and properly made.

One thing I had in common with him was the fact that we both went to the same school. Wesley College, and there was nothing he enjoyed more than to reminisce with me about Wesley, about how it was and how it is. We had many discussions about it and he visibly and clearly got great pleasure from that. Recently I discussed with him how, next September, we would attend the celebrations of the 150th year of setting up the college. We were very much looking forward to going together to those celebrations. It is particularly sad to think I will be going to those celebrations alone as far as the Oireachtas is concerned, but I will certainly take him with me in spirit.

While his primary contributions were to peace in Northern Ireland, Gordon also had a deep interest in the political situation and social conditions in this part of Ireland. I had many discussions with him on various issues affecting my own Department. He expressed an intense interest and was deeply involved in issues affecting all parts of this island. I join in the message of condolence to his wife Joan, his daughter Julie Ann, other members of his family and friends.

Members rose.

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