Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 23 Nov 2005

Vol. 610 No. 5

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy.

The Taoiseach

On behalf of Fianna Fáil and on my own behalf I extend deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our late colleague, Liam Lawlor, on the sad occasion of his tragic death on 22 October. During recent weeks our thoughts have also been with Liam's wife, Hazel, his daughter, Ciara, and sons, Niall, Gerald and Shane. In that time Liam's family have borne their private grief with enormous public dignity and composure.

The news of Liam's sudden death reached my colleagues and me during the Ard-Fheis in Killarney and it is always a shock when somebody one knows so well dies suddenly. Liam's death was a particular shock because he was a man of such extraordinary energy and it was especially hard to believe he was gone. Liam and I entered this House in 1977 and I have shared many occasions with him, both at home and abroad, in the years since. I worked with him throughout the country in an organisational capacity on behalf of Fianna Fáil in the early 1980s. I was also involved with him in many Oireachtas committees in my earlier years.

Liam was born 60 years ago in October 1945 and educated at Synge Street CBS and Bolton Street College of Technology. He was involved in much of the city's and county's activities over the years. Before he entered politics he ran a successful refrigeration company.

When he was elected to the Dáil as Member of the three-seat Dublin West constituency in 1977 at the age of 33, he dedicated himself to looking after his constituents and constituency. His record in elections was mixed. He lost his seat and regained it in 1982 only to lose it again. In 1985 he won a local authority seat, topping the poll, and won his Dáil seat back again in 1987. He retired in 2002. From 1987 to 1989 he served as Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies, which he particularly enjoyed, and held various positions on other committees.

He was an outstanding athlete and played hurling for Dublin at senior level as well as at club level. He also represented Leinster in the Railway Cup when the competition was tough. He ran the Dublin city marathon and was therefore a fit and energetic person.

The bare facts of Liam's political and sporting life do little to convey the real man. A phrase often used to describe him in the days after his death was "larger than life". He was a big man with a great gift for humour, conversation and storytelling. He was good company and through all the ups and downs he was never dull or less than entertaining. He never appeared to let things get him down and was a vivid and engaging colleague around the House. Through the many tough times he endured he managed to project that bright side. Liam was a man of many parts.

Liam's wife, Hazel, and members of his family join us today in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Hazel, her daughter, Ciara, and sons, Niall, Gerald and Shane, knew a Liam Lawlor few of us knew. He was a family man, a husband and father whom they will miss because he will never come back to them again.

The circumstances of Liam's death were surrounded in the same blaze of controversy that surrounded much of his political life. Much has been said and written about the manner in which his death was reported. There are lessons for us in politics and for the media who perform a valuable service in reporting our work. We should remember that charity is not the enemy of justice and neither justice nor charity is the enemy of the truth. We all have our faults and moral judgment is something we should pass sparingly. The finest testaments to Liam, and the ones he would have been most proud of, are the extraordinary grace and dignity of his wife, Hazel, who I have been honoured to know for decades, and the eloquent defence of their deceased father by his loyal and loving children.

In these brief words I extend my condolences to Hazel, Niall, Gerald, Shane and especially Ciara, who worked with me during my period as Leader of the Opposition, and wish them well into the future. It is an honour today to join with all the other leaders in testament to a person who was controversial but a good guy and a nice person around this House. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Mr. Kenny

On behalf of the Fine Gael Party I extend my sincere sympathy to the family of the late Liam Lawlor, his wife, Hazel, his sons, Niall, Gerard and Shane, and his daughter, Ciara. The name of Liam Lawlor is synonymous with political controversy and equally synonymous with the Fianna Fáil Party.

I will say a few words today about Liam Lawlor, not the politician or former member of the Fianna Fáil Party but the individual. I knew him for many years from his election to this House in 1977 and while he and I had different political agendas and views, on a personal basis he and I enjoyed a close relationship, principally because of a mutual interest in sport. The Taoiseach will recall the first visit to Islington by a team from this House, attended by between 4,000 and 5,000 people, intended to break down suspicions and build relationships with the British House of Commons. Liam Lawlor was a central figure on that team. I remember competing with him in the "Superstars" of the day, running around the steeplechase course at Belfield. He shouted from behind me it was worse than the Grand National. I recall playing in a charity golf event with him in Luttrellstown where we were lucky enough to win second prize, a bottle of wine. When the names were called out to receive this unique gift, he said they would not know whether to laugh or cry.

He was a larger than life character, obviously adored by his family to whom he was so devoted. Anyone here who knew Liam Lawlor well knew what a family man he was and those feelings were reciprocated because when I visited the Lawlor house the night before he was buried, I met a family numbed with loss. The sadness of his passing so far from home shocked them to the core. The immediate and wider Lawlor family, close-knit as they are, can never be the same again now he has gone.

Personally, Liam Lawlor was a kind and generous man. In the days after his death, I am sure his family searched the acres of news print to find a trace of the father, husband and brother they knew and loved so well. When James Joyce was working as a journalist for an Italian newspaper, he wrote about the Irish and how, despite our political differences, we never failed to show great reverence for the dead. Today, being sensitive to the great love and respect Liam Lawlor's family had for him, the Fine Gael Party wishes to show that reverence and to keep that tradition. Mar níor bhris focal maith fiacal riamh, guím suaimhneas síoraí ar a anam dílis.

Mr. Rabbitte

On my behalf and on behalf of the Labour Party, I join the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny in offering our sincere sympathy and condolences to the family of the late Liam Lawlor. It ought to be remembered that the past six or seven years cannot have been easy for the Lawlor family. They could not have anticipated his premature passing in the tragic accident in Moscow. That tragedy was exacerbated considerably by its manner of reporting in some sections of the media. I know how unnecessarily wounding and deeply hurtful that was for the family. I know it directly from my neighbour of more than 20 years, Noel Lawlor. For him and his decent and honourable family, the passing of Liam Lawlor was unnecessarily exacerbated by the tenor of the reporting of his departure.

We operate in this House on occasions like this on the principle of de mortuis nil nise bonum or, as we say in Ireland, one does not speak ill of the dead, and I do not intend to depart from that stricture. I had more than my fair share of conflict with the late Deputy Liam Lawlor. I would like to be able to say that he had used his prodigious talents exclusively in the interests of public service and to enhance politics, but I cannot say that. Today, however, is not the time to assess the political contribution of Liam Lawlor, rather it is an occasion to allow all sides of this House to offer our sincere condolences to his direct family and his extended family, and I join in doing that.

Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children (Ms Harney)

On my behalf and on behalf of the Progressive Democrats, I too express my sympathy to Liam Lawlor's family, particularly his wife, Hazel, his children, Niall, Shane, Gerald and Ciara and his brother, Noel.

When we heard in the early afternoon of 22 October of Liam Lawlor's death, we all found it difficult to believe. One hoped it was a rumour that was not true, as often happens in public life. That he should die within a few days of reaching his 61st birthday was a tragedy that is too much for any family. He did not look 61, he looked much younger. Those who did not know him may not have realised he was such a big man. He was full of energy, an able person and, as the Taoiseach acknowledged, a great spokesperson. To die so suddenly, so unfairly and so far away from home caused enormous and unimaginable pain for his family. As other Members said, the appallingly inaccurate reports at the time of his death was a cross no family should have to bear, least of all Hazel Lawlor and her family. The strength, courage and dignity she and her children showed at the time of his death is something of which he would have been very proud. It is a great example to all of us. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Sargent

Ba mhaith liom comhbhrón an Chomhaontais Ghlais a chur in iúl do mhuintir Liam Lawlor, to Hazel, Gerald, Ciara, Shane, Niall and the wider family. This is an opportunity to hear from people who knew Liam first-hand. Newspapers are generally known for reporting the truth but, unfortunately, in this case people reported stories that were not true and that has been proven beyond doubt.

It was clear to those of us who knew Liam Lawlor that he was a very capable and talented Deputy. He was not the type of Deputy who was in any way happy to tread water and pass time, he was always doing something. One got the impression that he was never content just to be a Deputy. When I was first elected in 1992, he sat in the Government backbenches. Very often Deputies sitting decided they would either sit at the back or on the Front Bench, but they would not sit anywhere in the middle. Liam Lawlor was certainly one of the Deputies who stuck rigidly to the back seat, waiting for his promotion. It did not come, of course, and the tragedy is that Liam is now gone from us.

I often wondered what would have happened if he had been given an official role within Fianna Fáil to be friendly to new Deputies because he was generally the person one could always depend on to engage in conversation and find out what other people were interested in. I would even go so far as to say that he liked to act the role of Minister. He certainly could carry off that role-play with aplomb. I still have a letter from Liam Lawlor as if he had been Minister, telling me what the Minister with responsibility for Sellafield was doing about the situation, as he knew my interest in the issue. That letter now takes on a new significance. In many ways it is a reminder of the Liam Lawlor that is not reported in the newspapers.

Whatever the Taoiseach and others said about his being larger than life, there was much more to Liam Lawlor than what was reported in the newspapers. It is important on a day like today to recall this and to let his family know that we knew the Liam Lawlor who is not reported in the newspapers. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm uasal.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

On my own behalf and on behalf of the Sinn Féin Deputies, I extend our sincere sympathy to the wife, daughter, sons and wider family of the late Deputy Liam Lawlor. Over the short number of years of my service from 1997, I had the opportunity to engage with Deputy Lawlor. He was, as other Members described, a very engaging Member of the House. In thinking back over his death, while I am sure that throughout his lifetime he was very proud of his family, there could hardly have been a time during his life when he could have been as proud as I have no doubt he must have been at witnessing their courage and dignity over those terrible days following his tragic death. This has been noted by the entire nation.

I will not let the opportunity go by without reiterating my belief that the overwhelming majority of the Irish people were shocked and vexed at the outrageous and false reports that sections of the Irish media were so eager to peddle as fact following his death. To inflict such hurt and pain on a grieving family would be viewed by many as unacceptable even if the claims were true. To do so when there was no basis to their scurrilous reports is viewed by the overwhelming majority as unforgivable.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. B. Lenihan)

Many in west Dublin were shocked to learn of the death of Liam Lawlor in a Moscow traffic accident. For Hazel and a fine family in Niall, Gerald, Shane and Ciara, and many friends in the area, there was understandable shock and horror at the episode.

Many more who did not know Liam Lawlor well were shocked at how the press reported these events. The inaccuracies have been brought to light but despite that no proper apology or explanation has been given to the people of Ireland as to why these inaccurate statements were published. There is also the issue of the fundamental lack of respect for the funeral custom that has always obtained in this country. Deputy Kenny touched on this earlier and Deputy Rabbitte quoted one of the noblest Romans of all in that context. I read in one newspaper the comment that the remains of the disgraced Deputy were now arriving in Dublin. To my mind, the disgrace lies with the person who would write such a thing for publication. It belongs to those who abuse their pulpit in that manner.

We all knew former Deputy Liam Lawlor well. It is worth stating that no adverse finding was made against him by any court or tribunal prior to his death. He had a procedural contretemps which led to his incarceration by a particular tribunal but it did not involve an adverse finding related to his political conduct. History must judge these matters now and make the final assessment referred to by Deputy Rabbitte. No doubt that assessment will be made, although I am not sure any tribunal can arrive at a definitive conclusion given that he is no longer in a position to contradict whatever is said against him. Many in the legal profession believe he would have been an outstanding advocate. He displayed an extraordinary forensic skill in his dealings with the tribunals in recent years.

He was brought up in the Moracrete Cottages off the Crumlin Road in Dublin and was educated in Synge Street CBS and Bolton Street College of Technology. He belonged, and he never made any apologies for it, to the working class of this city. He had a certain suspicion of those who claimed to have a superior insight into the requirements of that group. As a constituency Deputy, he was tireless in his efforts for the poorer elements in his constituency. He gave time and effort to them and no person's problem was too insignificant.

He hurled for Dublin and for Leinster in the Railway Cup. He was tough on the field and courteous off it. My late father fought seven election campaigns with him — I hesitate to say against him because they got along well — but those were tough campaigns, and I had the pleasure of fighting one campaign with him. He certainly knew how to campaign, and I do not mean that in a derogatory manner. He had a great insight into the political psychology of the voting public. He had an immense grasp of detail and a practical way of advancing the case of any constituent. Anyone who fought an election with or against him will testify to his extraordinary ability to mobilise voters. We are often charged with clientilism, a code for saying that we stay close to our voters. As long as we maintain the single transferable vote in the multi-member constituency, we will continue to have clientilism whether we like it or not and Liam Lawlor was certainly able to practise that.

He was a man of immense intelligence, there is no question of that. He was a self-made man and his ambitions, like many self-made men, knew no bounds. He was very proud of his family and I am glad to see Hazel and his brother here today, and others of his family, and I extend my sympathy to Hazel and his children, Niall, Gerald, Shane and Ciara. I agree with all other Deputies that they have conducted themselves with tremendous dignity during the recent obsequies at the airport and Lucan. No doubt they have very happy memories and I hope what was said today will add to those memories.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Ms Burton

On my behalf and on behalf of the Labour Party in west Dublin, I offer my condolences to Hazel, to her children, to Noel and to the extended Lawlor family.

Like everyone else, I was shocked at Liam's horrific death in the car crash in Moscow. To die so far from home and from the family who loved him so much is dreadful enough but the media coverage that followed his death must have added immeasurably to the burden of grief and trauma Hazel and the family have suffered.

As has been said by the Taoiseach and others, Liam was a large man but he was strikingly intelligent and had an extraordinary intellectual capacity for analysing problems and acting on his constituents' behalf. His son, Niall, put it best when he described his father's robustness in an interview with Pat Kenny. As someone who went up against Liam on a number of occasions, I can confirm that. It is no secret that Liam and I clashed repeatedly about planning issues in west Dublin but that debate is for another time. We had a truce over the Liffey Valley project, where we worked on a cross-party basis to ensure the important greenery that remained would be preserved.

I know the pride Liam took in his family because he often spoke to me about his children and, particularly, his grandchildren. In all the current grief, it is wonderful to know that he lived to see and enjoy the success of his children and found a new life in the grandchildren who have come along.

I do not know how many people remember election day 2002. In west Dublin it was accompanied by monsoon type rain and flooding. At 7 p.m. I took refuge like a drowned rat in Myo's in Castleknock. When I went in the door feeling miserable and dejected, I met Liam and a group of his golfing buddies who had abandoned their game. They were consoling me but Liam told me I would win. He was always confident about his predictions and in that he was right. It seemed odd, however, to have an election in west Dublin without Liam and his fabulous election machine.

I have known of Liam Lawlor since my youth. He was friendly with many of my relations, particularly the Doyles, an old Fianna Fáil family, and he and I often talked about our experiences growing up in working class Dublin. He was a man of tremendous ability and it is hard to think he is gone. I have always admired Hazel and nothing became her more than the way in which she behaved with such extraordinary dignity and courage under a media onslaught.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Mr. Curran

I express my sympathy and that of the local Fianna Fáil organisation in Clondalkin and Lucan to the family of Liam Lawlor, Hazel, Ciara, Niall, Gerald and Shane, on his tragic death. Many of the local members have expressed their sympathies to the family and many attended the funeral, including Councillor Jim Daly. Jim often mentioned Liam, saying, "Liam is one hell of a tough man and I have the scars to prove it", but he was referring to the hurling field. The political and sporting relationship goes back a long way. I also express my sympathy to Noel Lawlor, Liam's brother, who is a member of the local Fianna Fáil organisation in Clondalkin.

I never served with Liam Lawlor on the local authority or in the House. I contested the local elections in 1999 with him and, upon Liam's retirement from politics in 2002, I was elected to the Dáil. A procedure is observed when new Members meet former Members who return to the House and visit the Dáil bar. I recall the first time I met Liam in the House. A number of colleagues introduced me to the former Member, Liam Lawlor, but little did they know I knew him anyway. Liam pretended he had never met me and I pretended I had never met him so one can imagine the banter that ensued. We had dinner together that night and Liam, as always, was colourful, full of life and witty, and he was an absolutely engaging host. He was a pleasure to be with and I met him in the House on a number of occasions subsequently.

Anybody who has experienced a tragic death such as that experienced by the Lawlors will understand their trauma, pain and grief, particularly when Liam's death occurred far from home. They will acknowledge the search for answers about what happened, how it happened and the manner of a loved one's death. It is tragic and painful for a family to experience that. However, the Lawlors' pain was compounded by media reports and no family should ever have to endure that. I will not comment further on that but it was tragic for the family.

Since Liam's death, I have met many constituents, all of whom referred to the media reports because they were shocked and abhorred by them. However, a significant number of them told stories about work Liam did for them. In the 1980s social welfare benefits and supports were not as good as they are now — it was a different era. Many constituents in socially deprived areas still appreciate and recognise personal and political acts involving Liam who assisted people through his kindness and generosity. Those people will never meet Hazel and talk to her about these acts but it has been interesting to meet people in my constituency office who still recognise and appreciate individual acts done by Liam on their behalf. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Gogarty

I express my sympathy to Hazel, the boys, Ciara, Noel and other members of Liam Lawlor's family. Were it not for the dignity shown by the family in recent weeks, I would be tempted to use the Dáil privilege I am honoured to have to lambast every member of the media who so scurrilously and parasitically wrote about Liam Lawlor in the wake of his tragic death. However, given the dignity shown by the family, I will not get into that. I say this from the heart and not for the sake of political one-upmanship, although the apologies given by the media were so mealy-mouthed as to be worthless. When I read the newspapers the day after Liam's death, I was totally outraged, like everyone else. As Deputy Ó Caoláin said, even if the reports were true, there is such a thing as dignity and compassion. As someone who trained in Rathmines as a journalist, I was appalled and outraged and I hope we never witness the likes of it again.

Deputy Rabbitte and others stated one should never speak ill of the dead, but I disagree. If someone deserves abuse when he or she is alive, he or she deserves it when he or she is dead but former Deputy Lawlor did not deserve abuse when he was alive and he certainly does not deserve it following his death. Based on my experience working on the ground in Lucan, he had a fantastic reputation for working on behalf of his constituents. Whatever our disagreements about planning issues, which related not only to him but to the entire Fianna Fáil ethos during the 1980s, they were not personal. I was unlucky in that I entered the House only following Liam's retirement. However, I have no doubt if Liam was on the Government benches and we had an argument in the House with the usual fireworks, immediately afterwards we would sit down to have a cup of tea or coffee and be friends.

I did not get the opportunity to get to know him politically because I was only starting out, but I knew of him for many years, initially as a young child living in Lucan where one could not help but notice the name of Liam Lawlor because, as the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, said, he was an avid constituency politician who made sure his constituents were aware of the work he was doing. Most importantly, however, he did the work, and that inspired my involvement in politics. Rather than saying, "Vote for me, I am Green, I am principled", it is a case of saying "Vote for me because I am doing my best to work for you" and I was inspired by Liam Lawlor in that regard.

I came across Liam on several occasions and what made him stand out from many Lucan-based politicians, present and past, was if he wanted to say something, he had the guts to say it, even if it was unpopular and he was at a public meeting where 90% of the attendance disagreed with him. Many politicians, in the Houses and on local authorities, do not have the courage of their convictions or the guts, and they could learn a great deal from Liam. He did not keep things personal.

I was asked to write a piece on Liam for a local newspaper recently and I presume Hazel and the family have read it, but I illustrated Liam's kindness and courtesy. A number of years ago, the Adamstown development, a proposal for a town in south Lucan the size of Drogheda, was an issue. Valerie Cox of RTE travelled around the area with me to examine the development. We drove along and I mentioned we were about to pass Liam Lawlor's house. She swung off the road and drove up the driveway to the house, which took me totally by surprise. Out came the dog followed by Liam. I was sitting in the jeep looking at Valerie Cox and I asked her what she wanted me to do. She told me to go out to him because I knew him. I apologised to him saying I had been landed in this because Valerie Cox was doing a report on Adamstown. Liam had not done an interview for six months but he brought us out to the garden and gave us tea and biscuits. He extended his courtesy to us for at least an hour. Hazel arrived later and she was probably scratching her head wondering what the hell I was doing there with Valerie Cox.

However, Liam gave her an interview and showed us around the house pointing out various personal items. That is testament to his human nature, courtesy and hospitality. He was a true gentleman. He did not have to do that as he could have just paid her the courtesy of an interview without doing anything else.

However, that was my first experience of Liam Lawlor, the gentleman, other than when he asked after me at the GAA club, of which my father was chairman, on a number of occasions. I was a footballer and Liam was interested in GAA games. He used to ask my father how I was and how my political career was going. He predicted I would be elected. Liam's personality was highlighted in the eulogy at his funeral service. If it were ever possible for that to be read into the Dáil record, it should be, because it gave some real, human examples of Liam as a person, which the media never wanted to cover. They always wanted to look at the scandal and make accusations, and when the libel laws could not come into play following Liam's tragic and untimely death, they went all out for him. That was a travesty.

I am not being mealy-mouthed in my praise, nor superficial. I am being genuine. My constituency, including the area of Lucan where Liam Lawlor lived for many years, was very well served by him. We will be lucky to see a public representative ever again working so hard on behalf of his constituents as Liam Lawlor. From the heart, I once again express my sympathy to his family.

Members rose.