Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Apr 1996

Vol. 463 No. 8

Death of Former Member: Expression of Sympathy.

The Taoiseach

Despite the very long illness he suffered, I was not alone in this House in feeling a deep sense of shock when I learned of the death of my friend, and the friend of many Members, Gerry L'Estrange. Those of us who have served in the House for any length of time will remember vividly Gerry L'Estrange speaking from a seat which rather poignantly is one of the few seats left vacant at present — beside where Deputy Callely is seated — and excoriating the then Government in an eloquence which has not been matched in this House either for its colour or vigour. He could speak strongly and from a deep conviction — his convictions were very deep — and at the same time hold no personal malice towards any of the victims of his eloquence, and this was understood and appreciated.

He made many friends during his long public career, which did not commence as a political one. He was a noted athlete who competed on the national and local stage in long distance running. He is known still by those active in that field of endeavour. He was subsequently elected to Westmeath County Council in 1942, and served on that body until 1981 — one of its longest records of service. He chaired Westmeath County Council for three years from 1959 to 1961 and served on virtually all the subsidiary and other bodies to which the council makes appointments.

The late Deputy L'Estrange was a member of the Seanad from 1954 to 1965. His particularly robust political style may not have been entirely suited to that House. He found his true home when he was elected to this House in 1965 where he served until he retired undefeated in 1987. He was also a member of the European Parliament.

As Leader of the Fine Gael Party I recall that when no member of the Front Bench was willing to attend a meeting at the far end of the country and everybody else had important personal or political engagements more convenient to home, Gerry L'Estrange was always willing to go wherever the party wanted him to go. He was, in the best sense of that term, a true party man. He believed in and served his party. He shared all its good and bad points and expressed them in this House, sometimes to the annoyance of others but always in a way that was truly authentic. Gerry L'Estrange was a genuine politician. He spoke from his heart about things as he saw them.

On behalf of my party and the Government I would like to express my deep sympathy to Eileen, and to Sally L'Estrange, his cousin who looked after him during his long illness, and all those in County Westmeath and Longford who feel bereaved by the passing on Good Friday to his eternal and well earned reward of the late Gerry L'Estrange.

Mr. B. Ahern

It is with great sadness that we on this side of the House learned of the passing of Gerry L'Estrange. He was a Member of the Oireachtas for over 30 years, and I remember him as a courteous gentleman. He was well liked on all sides of the House.

I remember how he used to sit in the Whip's chair bombarding the Government when I was first elected to this House in 1977. He struck me than as a tough and outspoken opponent. He seemed to be the permanent Whip, having held that position for a long time. When I was a young assistant Whip he took time to teach me some of his tricks at which he seemed expert. As a young Deputy I certainly found him a very nice person to deal with.

It is said that he served in all positions in Westmeath working for his people. He was a constituency person and a great member of the party he served and loved so well. He was a Minister of State and worked very closely with the general council of county councils of which he was three times chairman and which, in its own way, helped the democratic process and the important role of councillors.

I would like to extend our sympathies to his wife, Eileen, his family, friends and former constituents and to his party for which he worked so hard. He was one of the great characters in this House during his years here. I do not know how he fitted into the Seanad. Here he seemed not to take too much notice of the Chair and managed to make his point. I am sure he acted differently in the Seanad. Outside the House he was certainly a very nice person. We send our sympathy to all his family and to his friends. Ar dheis láimh Dé go raibh a anam fíor uasal agus go dtugfhaidh Dia beannacht don a chlann agus don a chairde go léir.

Minister for Finance (Mr. Quinn)

On behalf of the Labour Party I extend to the family of the late Gerry L'Estrange and to Fine Gael, the political family of which he was so proud to be a member, our condolences and our deepest sympathies.

I was honoured to be elected to this House in 1977 and I recall Gerry L'Estrange at that time. That was before the arrival of high technology, including the televising of the proceedings in these Chambers. One of your predecesors, a Cheann Comhairle, the late Cormac Breslin, had a habit on occasion of talking to himself without turning off the microphone, and would make a running commentary on the contributions of various speakers — something I know the present Chair would never indulge in. On one occasion a great friend of Gerry L'Estrange, the late Frank Cluskey having had an almighty row with Cormac Breslin which had just subsided, was interrupted by Gerry L'Estrange who had rushed down from his offices upstairs to tell Frank Cluskey what Cormac Breslin had been saying about him whereupon the whole row started up again.

Gerry L'Estrange was a fighter. He fought vigorously for what he passionately believed in, but he fought without malice. Although he could have deeply held opinions which differed from those of other Deputies, this difference never travelled outside this Chamber. There was no personal malice ever associated with his very strong invective and his very strong language.

He was a major personality in this House and in the Seanad. Colleagues in Westmeath will recall that he was also a major character in his own county of which he was very proud. His passing is mourned. He left this House of his own accord in 1987 with a very honourable record, having made a considerable contribution to the party-political and democratic processes. I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his wife and family.

Miss Harney

On behalf of the Progressive Democrats, I would like to extend my sympathy to the family of the late Gerry L'Estrange and to his party, the Fine Gael Party. Gerry L'Estrange was first elected to this House in 1965, replacing General Seán MacEoin. He served as a Minister of State in two Departments, as Government Chief Whip and Chief Whip of the Fine Gael Party. Unlike many Deputies who were noted for their reticence in contributing to Dáil debates, Gerry L'Estrange was known for his vociferous contributions and was in frequent argument with the Ceann Comhairle.

He was, I understand, a meticulous record keeper, keeping detailed notes of every meeting he attended. The conversion of those records into a book would, perhaps be a mouth watering prospect for any journalist — Deputy Geoghegan-Quinn, who is about to produce her book, is already laughing. Perhaps somebody might be able to get their hands on those records and translate them into a book we would all enjoy reading.

Gerry L'Estrange was very much an old-style politician. Although I have been in this complex since 1977, he was not somebody I knew well. I do remember his vociferous contributions. I am pleased to know — and it speaks volumes for the kind of person he was — that he did not take the rows outside this Chamber, and I believe that is important. We can have very robust debates in this House, sometimes of an extreme kind, but it is important that we have a sense of balance and not take our party political differences into other arenas.

To the family of Gerry L'Estrange and the Fine Gael Party I extend my sympathy on his passing.

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

I would like to add my voice to the expressions of sympathy with the family, friends and party colleagues of the late Gerry L'Estrange. I was here for a number of years and knew him casually. He was a quieter man during the few years I knew him than the one I remembered from listening over the years to reports of the Oireachtas on the radio. Such reports always seemed to lead off with Gerry L'Estrange having been in trouble with the Chair or some Minister of the day. It struck me the Dáil must be a very interesting place, so I resolved to become a Member. In private I found the late Deputy L'Estrange to be a very kind, courteous man not at all matching his public image in radio and newspaper reports. As the Taoiseach has said, he was a passionate politician and argued from the depths of his convictions, which is the kind of politics needed.

Members rose in their places.