Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 23 Apr 1997

Vol. 478 No. 2

Announcement by An Ceann Comhairle.

An Ceann Comhairle:

A Thaoisigh, a Thánaiste agus a chairde Gael, before proceeding with the Order of Business this morning, may I be permitted to make a statement for the information of the House? Since there is much speculation as to when the dissolution of this Dáil will occur, and while I am not privy to the thinking of the Taoiseach in the matter, I deem it timely and important to make an announcement to the Dáil so that you, my peers, will in the first instance be aware of my intentions.

Under section 36 of the Electoral Act, 1992, if the outgoing Ceann Comhairle does not wish to become a Member of the next Dáil, he or she is obliged to announce to the Dáil that he or she does not desire to become a Member at the ensuing general election. If such an announcement is not made, then the outgoing Ceann Comhairle is automatically elected to the Dáil at the next general election. Accordingly, in accordance with section 36 of the Electoral Act, 1992, I wish to formally announce that I do not desire to become a Member of the Dáil at the next general election, consequent on the dissolution of this, the 27th Dáil. I will not, therefore, be availing of my constitutional right to automatic re-election to the new 28th Dáil.

I am now in the twilight of a long public career and I deem it far more desirable and appropriate that the people of South Tipperary, who have so consistently honoured me with their votes, should now decide who shall represent them in this new Dáil. I give to all concerned fair notice of my intentions to hand down the torch of unsullied public service to others in the hope and belief that they too will continue to uphold the best and noblest traditions of the premier county.

I count myself most fortunate to have served my country and constituents of South Tipperary for so long and in such exalted positions at home and abroad. To all who helped me along the way, I extend to them heartfelt everlasting gratitude. To have presided over this great democratic assembly for so long was a dream fulfilled for me and to have shared in the respect, support and the friendship of you, its Members, is a memory I shall cherish most of all. I extend my gratitude and thanks to the wonderful staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas, of which you should all be proud, and to the Clerk and Clerk Assistant of the House, par excellence.

The Taoiseach:

On behalf of Members, I pay tribute to your service to this House and to the people of Ireland throughout your political career as a Dáil Deputy since 1961. You are jointly father of this House with another Member who was also elected in that year. During your political career, you have put the interests of working people very high on your agenda. You have spoken for all Irish people in your often trenchant contributions from the Opposition benches which I remember. As Ceann Comhairle, you have treated all Members of the House with consummate fairness.

You have also, in the decision you have taken and announced today, shown a willingness to put the interests of the people of south Tipperary first and before any personal interests. The comfort of being re-elected to the Dáil without contest is something that, to my knowledge, no one has ever willingly given up. You have done so because you are anxious to see active service in this House being available to the people of south Tipperary and to the nation. That is a unique and selfless decision on your part because you could have remained a Member of this House without contesting the election and without making any great effort subsequently. You believed it would be an inappropriate way to serve the people and you have taken a selfless decision in that regard, for which Members of this House wish to pay tribute to you.

I especially enjoyed working with you in various capacities in this House. I have the most vivid and happy memories of attending at least one parliamentary union meeting with you in London where you conscientiously represented this country. While other members of the delegation might have been tempted to avail of the opportunity to look around London, you conscientiously attended every session and urged other members to do likewise. You recognised that, when Members of this House are abroad, they represent their country and must be seen to represent it in a hardworking and conscientious way. You led in this, as in other matters, by example and that is something I want to put on record.

I also appreciate the support your wife and family have given you throughout your political career, enabling you to do what you have done. Your work, as is the case with other Members of the House, involved being away from home more than most would normally expect to be. That would not have been possible for you, just as it is not possible for any of us, without the support of your spouse and family.

I recognise that the people of Clonmel might be happy to see a little more of you in future. Your proudest boast was probably not being a Member of the Dáil, Ceann Comhairle or a member of the Presidential Commission but being a distinguished member of Clonmel Corporation. You are a proud servant of the people of Clonmel, south Tipperary and Ireland.

Mr. B. Ahern:

It is not every day the father of the House and the Ceann Comhairle announces his departure from this House at the end of the current Dáil. I join with the Taoiseach and every Member of both Houses in thanking you for your courtesy and the distinguished way you have handled matters for the 15 years you have been in the Chair. You were Ceann Comhairle in the 1970s, before I entered the House, and for the past ten years, which is a long time to hold a difficult office. You have always demonstrated the impartiality of your high office and maintained the dignity of the House. This made us proud during the many visits of Heads of State in the last decade. We were lucky as a national Parliament that, almost every year or second year, a world figure visited us. On those occasions, when you represented the House, you brought us great satisfaction.

In times of political turmoil, whether it was the political cut and thrust of this House or the unruly behaviour of some people, you always managed to keep proceedings going and that was not always an easy job. I am sure I can apologise on behalf of members of my party for any time we caused you anxiety but I think you enjoyed it as much as we did. We are sure you were not too upset. I know, from talking to you over the years, that you are proud of your achievements. You were your party's spokesperson on the old Departments of Local Government, Industry and Commerce and Labour. It is 40 years since you were mayor of Clonmel, an honour with which I know you are very pleased. You held that position on more than one occasion. You were also Chairman of Tipperary South Riding County Council for a number of terms.

I thank you for those reasons, a Cheann Comhairle, as well as the way you are following the spirit of the constitutional provision. You could have gone on your holidays during the next election and been safely returned. Many people in the House would like to be in that position but you are the only one and you have foregone that to give someone else an opportunity of serving your constituency. You say you are in the twilight of your career but the way you perform your duties, both at home and abroad, belies that. On your recent visit to India you put in a gruelling work schedule. When politicians go on parliamentary trips, the public believe it to be a few days off for them to have a rest. Anyone who has been on those trips knows it is not so. You have gone on many trips representing this House but I am sure you felt a weekend in Tipperary would have been better. I appreciate your performing those duties. No one gets a line in newspapers for them and, if they do, it is usually bad. I appreciate the way you led those delegations.

On behalf of every member of Fianna Fáil and everyone in this House, I thank you, your wife Catherine, your extended family and friends in Clonmel and thank you for a job well done and hope you are not troubled with too much work over the next few days.

The Tánaiste:

I join with my fellow leaders in paying tribute to you this morning on your decision that you will not seek to return here as a Member of the next Dáil. The end of the 27th Dáil will, in your case, bring to an end a long and distinguished career in the service of the people of Tipperary as a Dáil Deputy and an equally distinguished contribution to parliamentary democracy.It is in many ways a sad day for us but it is also one in which we can collectively take pride in your performance as Chairman of the most democratic assembly in the country. You have been Ceann Comhairle for 14 years and you have served Dáil Éireann with sensitivity and fairness to all sides in this House. There have been, as Deputy Ahern said, many difficult and stormy political occasions over the last ten years, over which you, as Ceann Comhairle, had to preside. I suppose I can claim to be one who might have given you some anxiety in the distant past but I offer you my warmest congratulations for a job well done.

In your time as Ceann Comhairle and before your commencement of that distinguished period of political service, you were a strong advocate of the rights of the people of south Tipperary and, both as a trade unionist and as a representative in Dáil Éireann, you were always faithful to your strongly held beliefs in your political persuasion. You were a successful mayor of Clonmel and you were very proud of having that duty in Clonmel Corporation. It puts it into context, a Cheann Comhairle, in terms of your contribution to Irish politics, that I was seven years of age when you contested your first parliamentary election in 1957. You have had a long and distinguished career and when the 27th Dáil comes to an end I wish you and your wife Catherine, who has been a great supporter of yours, a well earned and happy retirement.

Miss Harney:

A Ceann Comhairle, this is the last occasion on which there will unanimity between the leaders in the dying days of the 27th Dáil. I thank you for bringing that about. You have served this House with great distinction, particularly in the role of Ceann Comhairle. It is said that patience is a virtue and you have it in abundance. You remained calm on so many occasions in the eye of a political storm. You showed respect for all Members. Although there were many occasions when my colleagues and I disagreed with your decision, we did so in the knowledge that you never conducted the proceedings of this House in a partisan manner.

At a time of so much cynicism about politicians and politics your decision to retire rather than seek automatic re-election will help restore faith in politicians. This is a selfless decision. You could have been automatically re-elected and need never have turned up in the House. You chose not to do so. I am delighted that you are serving out your term. In so doing you are showing that the office of Ceann Comhairle is independent and neutral. That is how it should be.

When President Clinton visited this House you spoke about the need for the Ceann Comhairle to have increased powers. Perhaps you will tell us more about that when you retire. You were serious on many occasions but you also had a wry sense of humour. There were occasional effective put downs of misbehaving Deputies. Many of us will remember such occasions.

I wish you and your wife Catherine the best of luck in your retirement. I hope you have many happy years in your native Clonmel. I do not welcome your retirement for one reason. It seems to have put a temporary smile on the face of the Coalition, particularly Deputy Ferris.

Mr. Dukes:

The Deputy should be nice.

Miss Harney:

We hope to wipe that smile away very soon. On behalf of the Progressive Democrats I wish you well and thank you for all you have done for politics and for your work as Ceann Comhairle.

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa):

A Ceann Comhairle, on behalf of Democratic Left I join with the tributes paid to you. Forty-two years is a long time to be in the eye of the political storm. You have served this State exceptionally well as a Deputy, a Member of the European Parliament, a member of the Council of State and in other functions. However, you will be best remembered for your role as Ceann Comhairle.

The Ceann Comhairle's role is a thankless task. It is difficult to satisfy everyone. Inevitably Deputies will feel sore about some decisions made. As an Opposition Deputy I felt your hand on my collar a number of times. I never had any hard feelings about that.

Mr. Cowen:

Does the Deputy have a hard collar or a hard neck?

Proinsias De Rossa:

Both. One needs a hard neck in this House. The best tribute I can pay to you is that you have served the office of Ceann Comhairle with distinction. It is one of the key offices in the maintenance of confidence in the democratic structures and procedures of this State. The fact that you have served with distinction and won tributes from all sides of the House is the best tribute I can pay to you.

An Ceann Comhairle:

If there are any more tributes Deputies may cause me to change my mind.

Mr. Davern:

A Ceann Comhairle, you have served in this House with myself and two other members of my family since 1961. You are truly the father of the House. There are two pretenders to that title but you were elected on the first count in 1961. You are truly the longest serving Member of the House.

I served with you in the Dáil, in Europe and on the county council. You have never shown bias in this House, indeed you showed some leniency from time to time for which I was grateful. You have been a tremendous leader in many areas, on the county council, Clonmel Corporation and as Mayor of Clonmel.

I am not sure that Deputy Ahern is correct when he speaks about hard working delegations. They were hard going delegations if not exactly hard working and I enjoyed every one on which you played a role.

A Ceann Comhairle, you have served the constituency of South Tipperary for a long time and you will be a loss to the people. This is the right decision for you to make so that the constituency will be represented by a third candidate. Your decision means that some of our novenas have been answered. The Holy Cross novena on a Sunday evening is very good.

I wish you and your wife Kitty, who has not enjoyed the best of health recently, every success and a happy retirement. We look forward to seeing you in a more casual role in more off licensed premises. We hope that you will live as long and as happy a life as you have done in Dáil Éireann.

Mrs. T. Ahearn:

A Ceann Comhairle, this House has been graced by your presence. I cannot imagine what politics in South Tipperary will be like when all other names are not drowned by the name of Sean Treacy, which has dominated politics in the constituency for the past 33 years. Members of the House may not know that the gospel in South Tipperary for the past 33 years is that the problem which Sean Treacy cannot solve cannot be solved by anyone.

Canon Hayes of Muintir na Tíre said that where Tipperary leads Ireland follows. As a Deputy for South Tipperary and as Ceann Comhairle you led the constituency, this House and Ireland with style and dignity. You served the people of South Tipperary with tremendous dedication and affection. Everyone's problem, whether large or small, was your problem.

The people of South Tipperary were proud to have you as their Deputy. This was proven by the numerous occasions on which you topped the poll. We were proud that you occupied the role of chairman of this House for so many years.

This is the end of an era in South Tipperary politics. You will take an important place when the history of politics in the constituency is written.You deserve that place. I was proud to be a colleague of yours on South Tipperary County Council and in this House. However, I am prouder to consider myself a friend of yours.

None of us starting in politics could have aspired to a better image than that of Sean Treacy, so successful has been your career. I look forward to your memoirs, which would make interesting reading. Your decision changes the situation in the election in South Tipperary. We will need more conventions and the canvassing cards will have to be changed. You served with style and dignity for 33 years and the announcement of your departure from politics was marked with the same style, dignity and fairness. I wish you and Kitty many years of happiness in your retirement.I sincerely want you to know, and I am sure I speak for the people of south Tipperary and everybody, that we really appreciate the time you gave for the people of the constituency throughout your 33 years of dedicated service to this House. I am proud to have been a colleague of yours.

Mr. Deasy:

I wish to be associated with the tributes being paid to you, a Cheann Comhairle. Yours has been a lifetime of service to the electorate, in particular of south Tipperary but, I might add, also of west Waterford — the constituency of south Tipperary and west Waterford — where some 8,000 voters gave you a leg-up over the past 36 years when you badly needed it. When the Davern boys and the redoubtable Jackie Fahey were breathing down your neck the people of west Waterford were a great source of strength to you.

We all appreciated the manner in which you led parliamentary delegations abroad. It was not just the manner in which you over-shadowed people like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton in this House but, whenever you went to foreign climes, your performance as leader of Irish parliamentary delegations was awesome; all of us who accompanied you could only describe it as such. Whether meeting democratically elected leaders or dictators, they were somewhat in awe of you. That speaks for itself.

You have done a great service to this nation, the electorate and we here particularly appreciate it.

Ms M. Fox:

I join other Members in paying tribute to you, a Cheann Comhairle. As you probably know, it is not just in south Tipperary that you are well respected but right across the country, especially in Wicklow where you are affectionately regarded as the greatest referee of all times.

I wish you the very best in your retirement when I hope you will learn to slow down and take things easy.

Mr. Ferris:

A Cheann Comhairle, I join my constituency colleagues in paying tribute to you, not only on the most important, courageous decision you have taken today. In the history of this House very few people have taken such a decision, particularly when, as Deputy Theresa Ahearn said, it would have been so easy to decide to be a Member of the next Dáil and just go on a holiday. Of course, it is no secret that your decision will influence the political landscape of south Tipperary.

I want to say very sincerely — very few other Members can make the same claim — that during all our years in the Tipperary South constituency, when I served under your chairmanship in the county council, campaigned with you over some 25 years to ensure you did not need a leg-up from anybody but always topped the polls, you represented the electorate with pride and distinction. That was what was so important about your service.The people of south Tipperary were so proud of the manner in which you represented them at all levels, whether in the course of your mayorality, as chairman of the county council, as a Deputy here, at the European Parliament but particularly as Ceann Comhairle. It was a wonderful honour for the people of south Tipperary and Clonmel that you held one of the highest offices in the land with a distinction never equalled and unlikely to be in the future.

As a colleague, having sat with you at all levels of your public representation, particularly within the parliamentary party, I was privileged to have followed in your footsteps. I might add that I do not aspire to any higher office than that which I hold at present, with the exception of being re-elected a Member of this House.

I wish you and Kitty the best of good health, in particular, and happiness to enjoy the retirement you so richly deserve.

Mr. J. Ryan:

As the only other Tipperary man who has not spoken, and as a representative of the premier county who will not be facing the electorate in the forthcoming general election, I wish to state that I have known you for more than 40 years. You were so typically a native of Tipperary.You know everybody and I am very aware of the great respect in which you were held by constituents and others. Over the years, when we worked together for the whole of County Tipperary, I built up a friendship with you. As other Members said more succinctly, as I leave, I do so along with a great Tipperary man. I wish you and your wife every happiness in your retirement.

An Ceann Comhairle:

I thank you all most sincerely.Your tributes have been such I have had to kick myself to ascertain if I was still alive. At the same time I know full well there are some Members of the House who will be damn glad to see the back of me.