Expressions of sympathy on the death of the former Deputy Michael Pat Murphy should be taken now and I propose that the Order of Business should be taken on completion of the expressions of sympathy.
Death of Former Member: Expression of Sympathy.
Is the proposal for dealing with the expressions of sympathy agreed? Agreed.
It is with sadness I rise to pay tribute to a man of whom I have the most affectionate memories – sadness tinged with the realisation that in recent months we have recorded the passing of many of our colleagues, some of whom unfortunately were Members at the time of their death.
When I entered politics Michael Pat Murphy was a senior figure in the Labour Party, a very much admired and beloved figure. Deputy Sheehan has inherited some of his characteristics, his colourful turn of phrase and his sheer physical dominance in a debate.
Michael Pat Murphy was the epitome of the role played by a rural Labour Deputy at that time. He was particularly vociferous in articulating the needs of people whom he felt were not properly represented by the establishment, those who were neglected by the Government of the day. He had a strong and passionate commitment to ordinary people whom he felt had been left behind in the development of freedom. I greatly admired the way he could argue his case in public and in the privacy of the Labour Party Parliamentary Party.
I met him on a number of occasions between 1973 and 1977 when he was Parliamentary Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, subsequently the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
I recall his passionate commitment to the lives and livelihoods of the inshore fishermen not only in part of his constituency but throughout the country. He will be renowned for the way in which he dealt with a number of difficult issues, particularly that concerning resolving the question of licences for salmon fishermen.
On behalf of the Labour Party, I express sympathy to his wife Hettie, his four sons, Michael Pat junior, Tim, John James, Edward Thomas, and his two daughters, Gabrielle and Kate Ann.
I join Deputy Quinn in extending our deepest condolences to the late Michael Pat Murphy's family, particularly his wife, Hettie, and his four sons and two daughters.
Deputy Quinn is correct in recalling that Michael Pat Murphy loyally served the people of west Cork. My memory of him here, which was during the period I was first elected to the Dáil, was fighting for the development of tourism, local investment and farming and reminding us of the distance his constituency was from the centre.
His work for his constituency was broad-ranging. He and his father served on Cork County Council for a long period. Michael Pat Murphy was chairperson of it on four occasions and served on it from the late 1940s up to 1985. He was a Member of this House for 30 years. That represents tremendous public service.
Deputy Quinn said that unfortunately a great number of not only former Members who served here a long time ago but former Members whom many of us remember, have passed away this year. Many of those former Members have passed away in recent months.
While current representatives from west Cork would remind us of the distance they travel to represent their constituents, it was difficult to travel that distance to represent those constituents 30 years ago, regardless of what we say about the state of the infrastructure today. I recall the role played by Michael Pat Murphy as Minister of State in 1973-77 Government and his pride in doing so.
I extend the sympathy of the Fianna Fáil Party to our ministerial colleague, Deputy O'Donoghue, on the death of his father-in-law, Deputy O'Donoghue's wife, Kate Ann, and the rest of Michael Pat Murphy's family. I know they will feel very proud of the tremendous service he gave to his constituency and of the contribution he made in this House.
I join in expressing the sympathy of the Fine Gael party to the family of Michael Pat Murphy. I remember him most graphically in this House standing where Deputy Rabbitte is now sitting declaiming on behalf of the people of west Cork his deep and sincere commitment to those whom he represented. He really believed in social justice. His social justice was not born of ideology but of the practical knowledge of the frequently bleak lives of many people in his constituency. He was determined to use his elected office to get a better life for them. He spoke here with great force and strength. In some tributes paid to him it was said that he was a man of few words, but I do not know if that is true; he was a man who spoke clearly when he needed to speak.
I remember him particularly well because he and I were appointed to ministerial office on the same day in 1973. He became Parliamentary Secretary at the Department of Agriculture while I was in another Department. He was Parliamentary Secretary to Mark Clinton and they got on very well together, as they were men of similar temperament and practicality. Mark Clinton's practicality came from his rural background in north Meath, while Michael Pat's came from Drimoleague and Schull.
I also remember him for his great love of horse racing. On one occasion I followed him and Hettie as they headed to Meath. I remember asking myself what he was doing, as he was on the wrong road if he was meeting fishermen at Mornington and was headed to Navan; what possible fisheries interests could he be pursuing there? Of course, I had forgotten he was heading for Navan races. He and Hettie were very enthusiastic in following horse racing, which I know has been inherited by some if not all his family. It was a great relief and relaxation to him in his difficult work.
That was a difficult Government to be in. We can see how easy things are now – Deputy Molloy spoke earlier about money being available for various measures and thank God that money is available. There was very little money available when Michael Pat had the job of distributing what little was available to him in his area of responsibility. Politics was tough then, but he was tough enough for the job. As the Taoiseach said, he had great physical stamina. Anyone who could travel, as he did, from his constituency for so many years – the westernmost part of the country – and continue to serve his people so well had to have great physical as well as moral courage.
I saw him in the last year or two on the streets of Schull. He enjoyed good health until relatively recently. He will be greatly missed in west Cork and by his friends in the Dáil. On behalf of Fine Gael, I pay tribute to his memory and I ask that our sympathy and that of our party and the entire House be conveyed to his widow, Hettie, whom many of us know and love, and to all the family.
I join with the Taoiseach and Deputies Quinn and Bruton in extending my sympathy and that of the Progressive Democrats to the late Michael Pat Murphy's widow, Hettie, and all her family. Unlike other Members, I did not have the privilege of knowing him, but from what I know he was a very decent and honourable person. He seems to have been a great character. I am aware of his interest in horse racing and clearly that was passed on not only to the members of his family but also to his in-laws. To serve a constituency as peripheral as west Cork in the Dáil for 30 years while representing a party other than the two Civil War parties could not have been an easy achievement.
I know Michael Pat Murphy had a huge personal vote and was loved across the political divide. I extend my sympathy to all his family, particularly his wife, Hettie, his daughter, Kate Ann, whom I know, and his son-in-law, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
On behalf of the Green Party I join with my colleagues in expressing sympathy on the death of Michael Pat Murphy to his wife, Hettie, and their family, including an tAire Dlí agus Cirt.
Tá a fhios agam gur mór an chailliúint é a bhás do mhuintir iarthar Chorcaí. Chaith mé féin tamaillín ann mar mhúinteoir agus labhair mé le daoine a raibh aithne acu ar Michael Pat. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil go leor iascairí timpeall an chósta ar mian leo a rá gur mór an chailliúint é a bhás chomh maith. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.
I add my personal condolences to the Murphy family on the death of Michael Pat. I knew him very well and served on a number of elected bodies with him. He was a good man and an outstanding Deputy. He was a quintessential rural Deputy. He was also a Parliamentary Secretary and was elected chairman of Cork County Council on a number of occasions; coming from one of the smaller national parties, that indicated the esteem in which he was held.
I remember meeting him after I was elected to the Dáil in 1977. He was wise, had great experience and he generously passed on that wisdom. He related stories to me about the idiosyncrasies of constituents and the contrary ways in which they might convey matters. I held him in greatest affection and respect. He set very high standards for me, Deputy Sheehan and Deputy Jim O'Keeffe, because he was a very hard worker and made an exceptional impact on the constituency, even though for a large part of his time as a Deputy we did not have the communications or other facilities we have now. He certainly improved the lot of the less well off.
I met a good number of people at his funeral who had come to the mainland from the islands off the coast. He was loved by the islanders and it was not because of the number of votes on the islands, but he felt they needed special attention. I can confirm that in his spare time he loved the odd punt on the horses, but he also loved the greyhounds. One met him occasionally on his way to Shelbourne Park also. I express my sympathy to his wife, Hettie, and family as well as to his son-in-law, the Minister, Deputy John O'Donoghue. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
I join with other Members in expressing my deepest sympathy to Hettie Murphy, her four sons and two daughters, her son-in-law, the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, her daughter-in-law, Mary, and other members of the extended family.
Michael Pat Murphy had great qualities, some of the best qualities that could be found in a person entering the Dáil. He had ability, courage and dedication. He had the ability to advocate and legislate on behalf of the people. He had the courage to be his own man and to put his ideas into practice. When, in the dazzling 1960s and 1970s, the Labour Party had renowned personalities as candidates, Michael Pat kept his feet on the ground. He never put up the official Labour Party poster of the plough and the stars in his constituency; he always had his own beautiful poster printed by the Southern Star in ordinary black and white. The message on the poster was: “Mind Murphy, the man who minds you.”
He was dedicated towards helping everybody, irrespective of class, creed or political affiliation. Everyone was a friend at Michael Pat's door and he served the people of south-west Cork for 30 years, from 1951 to 1981, with diligence and pride. That seat was in the custody of the Labour Party for 28 years before Michael Pat took it over.
Therefore, Labour held a seat in Cork South-West for 58 years—
We are going to get it back.
—until, following Michael Pat's departure from Dáil Éireann, the mantle fell on my shoulders. It was only fitting that I should have taken over the seat, particularly in view of the fact that we lived only nine miles from each other for many years.
Michael Pat had the distinction of being the Deputy who lived furthest from Dáil Éireann and nearest to the White House. Like me, he had nothing behind him but the Atlantic Ocean. His back was to the ocean on all occasions. In that context, I inherited many of the drawbacks he encountered during his career.
I had the pleasure to work with Michael Pat on the Cork County Committee of Agriculture from 1962 to 1973 and on Cork County Council from 1967 to 1973. I also had the pleasure of working with his brother, the late Corney Murphy, who was another colourful politician from the area, and, latterly, with his son, Michael Pat Junior, who excelled as a councillor during his 11 years of service on Cork County Council. I express my sympathy to his brother, P. J. Murphy, the only member of Michael Pat's immediate family still living in Caharagh.
I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Pat, in his capacity as chairman of Cork County Council, putting in place the final block on top of Ireland's tallest building, the County Hall in Cork, and I ensured that he laid the block properly.
It is still standing.
Michael Pat had qualities we will all miss. He was a man of the people who always put others and his country before himself. His passing will be sadly felt by everybody in the constituency.
Long after he retired from the House, people went to him to seek advice on different matters. I guarantee Members that the advice he gave was infallible. He was a man of the people who represented the constituency of Cork South-West. We will all miss him in the years to come. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
The message from west Cork is clear: we were very proud of Michael Pat, we regarded him as an outstanding west Corkman, we mourn his passing and we join in the condolences to Hettie and the Murphy family.
I served one term with Michael Pat in the House at a time when he was the father figure in west Cork political life. I had the opportunity during that term to bear personal testimony to his kindly disposition and benefit from his wise advice. I recall one instance when he pulled me aside when he noticed that I was making too many contributions in the Dáil. He was concerned about the local base in west Cork and he called me aside and said: "It is fine to be speaking in the House but remember the number of people who have talked themselves out of the House." He proceeded to point out the need to look after ordinary people, hold regular clinics and do the work in the constituency, and informed me that I should begin that work immediately and not wait until the run-up to the election. He told me to remember one thing: "You never fatten the pig the night before the fair."
His advice was simple: do the work on the ground. Michael Pat did that work and he was the prototype of the hard-working Deputy. As a consequence, his circle of supporters included both rich and poor people. He made no differen tiation in that regard, either when working for an individual or for the local community.
West Cork and the country in general have lost a genuine guy. I was glad I had the opportunity to serve and work with him and to learn from him. He will long be remembered and mourned in west Cork.
Members rose.