Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Mar 2010

Vol. 704 No. 3

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy.

Deputy Eamon Gilmore

Thar mo cheann féin agus thar ceann Páirtí an Lucht Oibre, is onóir dom é cúpla focal ómóis a rá faoi Thomás Mac Giolla — iar Theachta Dála, iar Ard-Mhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath agus iar uachtarán Páirtí na nOibrithe. Ba mhaith liom freisin comhbhrón a dhéanamh lena bhean chéile, May Mac Giolla, lena chlann agus lena chomhghleacaithe, atá bailithe linn inniu i nGailearaí na gCuairteoirí. Tá fáilte rompu.

Laoch an eite chlé ab ea Tomás Mac Giolla. Fear poblachtánach, sóisialach agus idirnáisiúnach ab ea é. Sheas sé lena bprionsabail i gcónaí. Bhí a fealsúnacht polaitíochta bunaithe ar phoblachtánachas Wolfe Tone. Chreid sé nár leor aontacht tíre gan aontacht daoine freisin. D'oibrigh sé go chrua ar son an phobail, go háirithe na bochtán agus iad atá thíos.

Tomás Mac Giolla was a man of great principle and personal courage. He made a significant contribution to politics and public life, and perhaps his record did not always get the credit it deserved during his political career.

Tomás was born in Tipperary in 1924 and was a nephew of the Irish Parliamentary Party MP, T. P. Gill. He often said later that his family did not have any particular political allegiances but, if anything, leaned towards Fine Gael. Tomás went to the local Christian Brothers school and then on to St. Flanan's College in Ennis. He later went to UCD from where he graduated with a BA before taking a BComm at night. After graduation, he went to work with the ESB as an accountant where he spent 30 years until he left in 1977 to devote himself to full-time politics. He was proud of the role played by the ESB as a pioneering State company bringing electricity to rural Ireland.

His first real political involvement was with the anti-partition league in the late 1940s and his decision to join Sinn Féin was a natural progression from this. He was active in the republican movement during the 1956-1962 Border campaign, becoming a member of the Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle. He was interned for two years in the Curragh and later became one of the last people in this country to be sentenced to imprisonment by a military tribunal for refusing to account for his movements.

In 1962, he was elected president of Sinn Féin and was one of a group of people who recognised the absolute futility of the type of campaign waged by the IRA and who were determined that there would be a change of direction in the republican movement. Under his leadership during the 1960s, Sinn Féin became deeply involved in campaigning on such issues as housing, unemployment and the control of natural resources, and under his leadership, Sinn Féin abandoned its abstentionist policy in 1971.

Tomás was a republican in the tradition of Wolfe Tone. He was an early advocate of the civil rights strategy in Northern Ireland and a fierce opponent of sectarianism. He was shocked and appalled by the campaigns of sectarian violence that blighted Northern Ireland for so long.

As long ago as the summer of 1972, Tomás made a mould-breaking speech in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, in which he bluntly told his republican colleagues that the creation of a united Ireland would require, first, the uniting of the people of Ireland. In this, he was giving practical and contemporary expression to Wolfe Tone's wish for the unity of Catholic, Protestant and dissenter. At a time when the sectarian bombing campaign was at its height, he said that nobody should try to bomb a million Northern Protestants against their will into an all-Ireland republic. The great tragedy was that it took another 30 years for some to realise the wisdom of his assessment. Had more people listened to Tomás Mac Giolla in the late 1960s, 30 years of violence and more than 3,000 deaths in Northern Ireland might have been averted.

Although he was originally from Tipperary, Tomás lived most of his life in Dublin and he had a great love of has adopted city. He loved its traditions, its architecture, its literature and most of all, its people. I know that one of his proudest moments was his election as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1993.

Tomás Mac Giolla was a champion of the poor and the disadvantaged and he fought for their interests with great vigour during his ten years as a TD for Dublin West. He knew the importance of education and often quoted the line from Thomas Davis, "Educate that you might be free." He believed that all citizens had a right to a job, to a place to live and to a decent health service.

Tomás was a great lover of Irish culture and the Irish language. He was a frequent contributor in Irish while he was here in the Dáil, but he was also an internationalist, who drew inspirations from the principles of the French revolution and who was as committed to the fight for justice in South Africa or Palestine as he was for it in Ballymurphy or Ballyfermot.

Tomás was a genuine radical. He thought deeply about political issues and only adopted political positions after he had considered all the options and thought the matter through fully, but once he adopted a position, he promoted and defended it with great vigour and absolute conviction. He was a believer in change who was so confident in his own beliefs and principles, that he himself was never afraid to change, to meet new circumstances, or simply to take account of the experiences from which he was always prepared to learn.

While he and I took different party political paths in recent years, I always retained great admiration and respect for Tomás Mac Giolla. I am proud to have served as a Dáil colleague of Tomás Mac Giolla, to have campaigned with him and to have learned from him. I will always remember him with admiration and affection.

Tomás Mac Giolla had a rather serious public image because the issues he dealt with every day were serious political issues. However, there was another side to him that the public did not always see. In private, he was great company, warm and witty, widely read and with a great interest in all aspects of life. Those attending his funeral heard an account from his godson and nephew, Tom Hogan, of a very different Tomás — a man with a great love of life, a great sense of humour, a passion for horse racing and a great affection for children.

Tomás and May Mac Giolla were one of the closest couples, personally and politically, that I have ever encountered. I want to welcome May to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and members of the family and colleagues of Tomás and May.

On behalf of the Labour Party and on my behalf, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy to May, to Tomás's sister Evelyn and to his colleagues and friends on his passing.

The Taoiseach

Ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a ghabháil le clann Tomás Mac Giolla, a chailleadh le déanaí. Bhí prionsabail agus fealsúnacht poblachtánach aige. Bhí sé misniúil i ngach rud a dhéan sé ina shaol polaitiúil. Ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a chur in iúl dá chlann. Bhí an-aithne agam air nuair a bhí sé mar Bhall den Teach. Chuamar thar lear le chéile. Is maith is eol dom go raibh sé in ann amhrán a chanadh chomh maith le éinne anseo.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Tomás Mac Giolla and I extend my sympathies to his family, especially his wife May, and to welcome them today to Dáil Éireann.

Tomás Mac Giolla served in the House for a decade and had a long and distinguished career in politics. Tomás Mac Giolla was a Member of Dáil Éireann when I was first elected in 1984. He was a politician of sincerity and strong convictions with a long record of service, particularly to the people of Dublin.

Tomás Mac Giolla came from a family whose past was steeped in politics. His uncle had served in the House of Commons alongside Charles Stewart Parnell. His own journey in politics began in the late 1940s when he graduated from UCD with a degree in arts and subsequently in commerce. He began working as a revenue accountant with the ESB in 1947 when the anti-partition campaign of the late 1940s nurtured his interest in politics.

In the early 1950s Tomás Mac Giolla joined Sinn Féin and became a prominent member in that party, serving in its ard comhairle for much of that decade. He first stood for election to the House in 1961 in his native Tipperary but was unsuccessful. The following year he was elected president of Sinn Féin at a time when the republican movement was undergoing a period of transformation and reflection following the Border campaign. Tomás Mac Giolla was an avid reader and was strongly influenced by the writings of George Plant, the ideals of the United Irishmen as well as contemporary international socialist thinking. He, along with Cathal Goulding, brought this analysis to the development of Sinn Féin and sought to involve the party more in tackling social issues.

When the conflict in Northern Ireland erupted in 1969, his was a sane voice at a tumultuous time for politics on our island. He did his utmost to quell the flame when a full scale civil war looked like a distinct possibility. In a recent obituary, the wise and restraining influence Tomás Mac Giolla exerted on the republican movement was recorded by a young IRA volunteer who wrote:

One of my abiding memories of Tomás Mac Giolla was an encounter in the city of Derry in August 1969. I still had naïve notions of a short but glorious war with the British army which would drive the old enemy out of Ireland, after which everyone would live happily ever after. Tomás was not long dispelling those notions. He quite simply told me, and other volunteers who had come from all over Ireland to fight, that we should return home. He could see the explosive nature of the situation and counselled calm when everyone else was looking for guns.

Tomás Mac Giolla deeply regretted the spilt in Sinn Féin in 1970 and attempted a conciliatory approach with former colleagues. Although this division was the source of significant conflict and political bitterness over the years, Tomás Mac Giolla accepted that many of those who left his party had done so because they felt sincerely that abstentionism was the heart of republicanism.

History will record that Tomás Mac Giolla was prominent in leading the Official IRA to ceasefire in 1972. In one of his final in-depth interviews with Jason O'Toole, published after his death, Tomás Mac Giolla made clear his distress and revulsion at the Aldershot barracks bombing. He recognised the futility of violence as means of solving the problems of Northern Ireland. He also strongly maintained that the involvment by the Official IRA in the conflict was distracting from the development of progressive politics and the need to highlight social issues across the country.

Tomás Mac Giolla was a committed socialist and throughout his long career he remained unswervingly loyal to his party which underwent a process of renewal and transformation as Official Sinn Féin, Sinn Féin the Workers' Party and finally the Workers' Party.

Tomás Mac Giolla's greatest commitment was to inclusive politics and he had a special regard for the disadvantaged in our society. He was a politician not afraid to change with the times. He saw politics, as with life, as a learning curve. He was not afraid to revise his positions, adapt them or to allow his political viewpoints to evolve for the betterment of the people he represented.

He was first elected to Dublin City Council in 1979 and remained a member for close on 20 years. Although a proud son of Tipperary, he viewed it as a great honour to be elected Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1993. Tomás Mac Giolla abhorred sectarianism and a major theme of his mayoralty was to build practical contacts between the people and the civic representatives of our capital city with both communities in Belfast, Lisburn and other areas in the North.

In February 1982, the Workers' Party under Tomás Mac Giolla's leadership became the first party since 1957, apart from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour, to have at least three seats in the Dáil. Although he was an unsuccessful candidate in that election, as his party's president, he negotiated an agreement for the Workers' Party to support Mr. Charles Haughey's minority but short-lived Government.

In the second election in 1982, Tomás Mac Giolla was elected to the House for the first time. He topped the poll in the Dublin West constituency which was a considerable achievement given that he was competing with strong vote-getters such as the late Brian Lenihan Senior, the late Liam Lawlor and the late Jim Mitchell, among others.

During his time as a Member, Tomás Mac Giolla proved himself to be an astute and committed parliamentarian. He was widely praised for his work rate and diligence even by his party's critics. In this House, he was a strong supporter of part-time workers. He was also a trenchant supporter of peace on the island and a passionate advocate of the civil rights agenda in Northern Ireland.

In a tribute following his passing, Senator Eoghan Harris wrote that Tomás Mac Giolla was a true pioneer of good politics, especially in his efforts to transform mindsets on relationships with the Unionist community. He will be remembered as an early advocate of the principle of consent and as someone who believed the best way to progress on this island was to extend the hand of friendship to the Unionist community.

His final address as Workers' Party president in 1988 underlined the need for mutual respect between the two traditions on this island. It was welcomed then by a leading Unionist politician, Ken Maginnis, who said that Tomás Mac Giolla had kept the best wine until last. The Irish media also noted his contribution to inclusive politics as president of his party for over quarter a century by strongly praising his courage in helping to bring about the transition from gun to ballot.

Tomás Mac Giolla said the Workers' Party-Democratic Left split was his greatest disappointment. He, however, did not let this event towards the end of his career in Leinster House impinge on his activitism and his commitment to politics.

In his life outside of the Dáil, Tomás Mac Giolla remained active on the ard comhairle of the Workers' Party until he passed away. He continued to passionately represent the needs and concerns of his community, neighbours and friends in Ballyfermot and throughout west Dublin. He also maintained a great pride in Ireland's history, heritage and native language. He always had a huge interest in historical commemoration. At one point he unsuccessfully lobbied the then Taoiseach, Mr. Charles Haughey, on behalf of Orangemen seeking to stage a tercentenary commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne at the battlefield site. In changed times we have seen the elected leaders of both the great democratic assemblies of this island walk that battlefield side by side in friendship. Tomás Mac Giolla would have taken pride in such progress.

He was a true believer in Wolfe Tone's maxim of uniting Catholic, Protestant and dissenter. His lifelong interest in the United Irishmen made him a great source of knowledge on the Dublin committee to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the 1798 rebellion.

He also long held the view that it was "ludicrous to draw comparison between the 1916 leaders and those engaged in terrorism". As far back as 1991, at the time of the 75th anniversary of the Easter Rising, he was clear there was a need to more fully and publicly commemorate it. In recent times he was a member of the group that campaigned to save No. 16 Moore Street and I understand he was enthused by plans for a significant and inclusive celebration of the 100th anniversary of the rising. On behalf of my party, I extend my sympathies to Tomás's wife, May, his sister Evelyn, his extended family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Deputy Enda Kenny

Tar éis éisteacht leis na focail atá ráite ag an Teachta Gilmore agus ag an Taoiseach faoi bhás Thomáis Mhic Ghiolla, iar-Theachta Dála, a bhí anseo le níos mó na deich mbliain, ba mhaith liom féin fáilte a chur roimh a bhean chéile, May, agus a chlann agus a chairde atá ar fad atá anseo sa Dáil inniu.

Tá an fhírinne ráite ag ceannaire Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre nuair a dúirt sé go gcaithfaí eolas a bheith ag duine faoi Thomás Mac Giolla agus an phearsantacht a bhí aige sula mbeadh a fhios aige cad go díreach a bheadh ina intinn. Ní hamháin go raibh sé dírithe ar chúrsaí polaitíochta ach ar chúrsaí mhuintir a dháilcheantair go mór mhór. Go minic agus mé ag labhairt Gaeilge leis, dúirt sé liom go gcaithfeadh duine éisteacht le muintir na ndáilcheantar go mbeadh a fhios cad é a bheadh ag cur isteach orthu agus céard í an imní a bheadh orthu ionas go mbeadh a fhios ag duine céard b'fhéidir leis a dhéanamh faoi sin.

Aontaím freisin leis an méid atá ráite ó thaobh na léachta a chur sé amach i 1972 i gContae Thír Eoghain, nuair a dúirt sé nárbh fhéidir le páirtí nó Rialtas ar bith Protastúnaigh an Thuaiscirt a bhrú isteach in Éirinn aontaithe le fórsa. Mheabhraigh sé go mór ar an ráiteas sin.

Mar Theachta Dála, bhí sé anseo le deich mbliain anuas agus bhí sé ina uachtarán ar a pháirtí le fada an lá. D'fhreastal sé freisin mar Ard-Mhéara i bpríomhchathair na hÉireann.

Is cuimhin liom go maith agus mé ag caint leis cúpla lá sular tháinig an t-Uachtarán Reagan anseo. Dúirt sé nach mbeadh sé ag fanacht i seomra na Dála agus chuile duine eile thart faoin tír ag iarraidh teacht isteach le bheith páirteach sa searmanas agus sa léacht a bhí le tabhairt ag an Uachtarán Reagan. Sheas Tomás Mac Giolla suas agus dúirt sé an méid a bhí ar a intinn agus d'imigh sé ón tseomra.

Ba mhaith liom, mar Theachta a bhí ag freastal anseo le Tomás, mo chomhbhrón agus comhbhrón mo pháirtí a dhéanamh le May, bean Thomáis, agus a rá cé go raibh difríocht mhór idir an fhealsúnacht pholaitiúil a bhí aige agus atá agam féin agus ag mo pháirtí, bhí fonn mór agam d'fhear a bhí níos sine ó thaobh polaitíochta de ná mé féin. Thart ar na hallaí anseo san Oireachtas, bhínn ag caint Gaeilge leis go minic. Chuaigh sé i bhfeidhm go mór orm an díograis a bhí aige ó thaobh dheachreachtaí an dáilcheantair, Baile Átha Cliath Thiar, a bhí le réiteach.

Tá súil agam gur le Rí na bhFlaitheas atá sé inniu. Tá fáilte mór roimh gach aon duine anseo chuig seomra na Dála inniu.

Deputy John Gormley

During the years I spent with him on Dublin City Council in the early 1990s, I got to know Tomás Mac Giolla, a man of deep principles and of great faith in people and republicanism. Whether one agreed with him, one always knew he was a man of strong political convictions. From the outset he worked in politics to defend the interests of working class people and did so for many years in this House, in Dublin City Council and in many other arenas around the country.

He will be remembered for his transformative role in the republican movement during the 1960s and 1970s. His contribution shifted the emphasis away from the armed struggle, encouraging those involved to partake in political action. In doing so, he helped to sow the seeds of inclusion in the republican movement within the political sphere, without which the peace we enjoy today on this island would have been hard to achieve. His commitment to people was undoubted and he is to be remembered for his dedication to civil rights and condemnation of injustice throughout Ireland and beyond. Bhí an-suim aige sa teanga freisin. Ba bheag nach raibh an tábhacht céanna ag an nGaeilge i bhforbairt a smaointe agus a bhí ag an bhfealsúnacht sóisialach.

He was greatly pleased and honoured to represent Dublin West as a Deputy. The year he was Lord Mayor was a special year for him and his wife May. While he was a renowned champion of the disadvantaged, that year his true republican ethos, which stretched back to Wolfe Tone, shone through as he represented all creeds and classes with equal diligence. I succeeded him as Lord Mayor and it was a great honour to receive the chain of office from someone of such political stature.

We have lost a passionate humanitarian and obviously a man of great conviction and vision. For May, it is a deep personal loss and I extend my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Green Party to her, his sister Evelyn, his nephews and nieces. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Ar son Teachtaí agus Seanadóir Shinn Féin, agus ar mo shon féin, cuirim chomhbhrón chuig May agus chuig clann, cairde agus comhghleacaithe Thomáis Mhic Giolla, iar-uachtarán Shinn Féinn agus iar-Theachta Dála. On behalf of Sinn Féin I extend sympathy to May Mhic Giolla and the bereaved family, friends and colleagues of the late Tomás Mac Giolla, former president of Sinn Féin from 1962 to 1969 and former Dáil Deputy. Tomás Mac Giolla was a lifelong political activist who followed, according to his lights, the creed of Wolfe Tone and James Connolly. His primary concern was the well-being of the mass of the people, the working people he represented in Dublin as a councillor and Deputy. I heard an anecdote today that illustrates this. When he worked in the ESB he acquired the key to Merrion Square Park, beside Leinster House. It was then the property of the Catholic Church and closed to the public. Local children could only look through the locked gates and high railings. I am told Tomás Mac Giolla made the key available to those living in local flats so that the children could play in the park. In Ballyfermot, Inchicore and the adjacent areas he represented for many years, his hard work is still recalled and appreciated.

Tomás Mac Giolla's political course and that represented by Sinn Féin in the Dáil today diverged sharply in 1970. We have heard various interpretations of that division on the national question since his death but this is neither the time nor the place to rehearse these arguments. There were sharp and sometimes tragic divisions between Tomás Mac Giolla's political direction and ours. However, it is widely acknowledged — and I wish to do so again — that Tomás Mac Giolla acted according to his deeply held political beliefs. In later years I had occasion to share platforms with him on issues of common concern, such as Irish neutrality. I found him as I expected I would, to be a very sincere political voice. Suaimhneas síoraí dá ainm.

Deputy Leo Varadkar

While I did not know Tomás Mac Giolla personally I was, when growing up in Dublin West very much aware he was one of our local Deputies. He represented the radical left tradition in west Dublin, which has often elected a Member to this House. While I do not come from that tradition and would not have shared many of Tomás Mac Giolla's views, I respect the contribution he made to politics and what he did to make west Dublin a better place. On behalf of Fine Gael and the 120,000 constituents of Dublin West, I thank his family for his life and contribution.

Tomás Mac Giolla stood in 11 general and two European elections and was elected to Dáil Éireann on three occasions, namely, November 1982, 1987 and 1989 at the head of a Workers' Party of seven Deputies, which was a considerable achievement. On the first occasion, he received more than 6,000 votes and on the third more than 8,000 votes. As stated by other Members, he was elected to Dublin City Council in 1979 and became Lord Mayor in 1993, the year after he lost his Dáil seat. Having reviewed the record, he genuinely was an impressive parliamentarian. The record shows he contributed to all Stages of legislation in a considered and measured fashion. The parliamentary questions he tabled showed his wide breadth of interest beyond purely domestic concerns, including on international issues such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Africa, the service of the Defence Forces abroad, nuclear power, the encroachment into Irish waters of foreign submarines and Irish neutrality.

As Deputy Kenny recalled, Tomás Mac Giolla famously walked out of the Dáil in 1984 when former President Ronald Regan addressed the House. What may not be so well remembered is that on 24 March 1987, almost 13 years ago, he was first to raise questions about the use of Irish passports by Colonel Oliver North to enter Iran. This issue remains relevant today given the use of Irish passports in recent times. His strong local work was evidenced in his parliamentary activities, raising questions familiar to all of us in Dublin West, namely, primary and post primary school provision, Garda resources, social welfare benefits and job creation. He was, throughout his career, a constant advocate of the PAYE sector and of tax fairness for that sector, which is particularly relevant today. As mentioned, Tomás Mac Giolla was a member of the official IRA and, in his own words, did everything that the IRA asked of him. However, he was among the first to challenge the physical force tradition at that time to turn away from sectarianism, which he never supported, and to recognise the Protestant tradition in Northern Ireland for its own value.

In conducting my research I came across some of Tomás Mac Giolla's old election literature from the 1990s, in particular The Dublin People, the newspaper he used at that time to campaign in the European elections of 1994. In that particular election campaign he makes only one promise, namely, to be straight, honest and true. Tomás Mac Giolla was straight, honest and true. If we all follow that example, we will help to make Ireland a better place than it is today.

Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

I agree with what has been said by the different party leaders in their historical assessment of Tomás Mac Giolla and will not enter on that subject, about which much has been said this afternoon. I cannot add to what has been said by the party leaders although I am sure historians will add to it. I am sure Tomás Mac Giolla will be found to be what we have always known him to be, namely, a man of peace.

I speak as one of two Members of this House who contested an election with Tomás Mac Giolla. I believe Deputy Burton also contested an election with him. Tomás Mac Giolla made his mark on Dublin Corporation as a representative of the people of Ballyfermot who have had many notable tribunes in this House and in the city council down through the years, of which Tomás Mac Giolla was certainly one of the greatest. He first came to Dáil prominence following a large vote in the famous 1982 Dublin West by-election. He consolidated his position by winning a Dáil seat in the general election which took place in November of that year. He held his seat in successive elections in 1987 and 1989 up until 1992. He then contested a by-election in 1996 at which time I was elected and following which in a subsequent election in 1997 I was again elected.

All of that aside, I found Tomás Mac Giolla to have two outstanding qualities. I knew him well prior to my election as part of the political scene in Dublin West and as a candidate and a person who attended public meetings. His parliamentary election failures in later years were in no way a reflection on his devotion to duty as a constituency representative. We in this House are often accused of an excess of clientalism and of being too like the old fashioned French parish priest who is too close to his parish. Tomás Mac Giolla could never have been condemned to have failed in that regard. He was assiduous in his attention to constituency duties, both in terms of attending public meetings and in assisting people with the real problems they faced in the very difficult economic climate of the 1980s and early 1990s. From his initial base in Ballyfermot he extended into what was then a far younger council estate in the north Clondalkin area and into Mulhuddart and wider middle class areas. He established a fine vote in that constituency, although he was not helped, as is often the case for many Dublin Deputies, by successive revisions of the constituency in later years.

Tomás Mac Giolla brought a great devotion to his work as a Deputy. Side by side with all that has been well said about Tomás Mac Giolla in terms of his national contribution, I would like to put on record his strong local contribution in terms of his fight for schools, playing facilities, justice for taxpayers and welfare recipients and many other causes apart from the national causes to which he was obviously and sincerely committed. Were I to pick out one other quality that distinguished Tomás Mac Giolla, it was that of intense sincerity and belief in politics as a vocation and a method of improving the lot of all of the people. He certainly had that strong conviction. His integrity was transparent to anyone who had dealings with him in public life.

I am glad he had a good life. I extend to his wife, May, and to his family and friends, on my behalf and on behalf of the Fianna Fáil organisation in the Dublin West constituency, our appreciation for all he did for the area down through the years. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Deputy Joanna Tuffy

My contribution is about Tomás Mac Giolla, Teachta Dála. As the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, stated, Tomás Mac Giolla was a hard constituency worker. Like Deputy Varadkar, I grew up in the constituency of Dublin West and he was my local Deputy. Teachta Dála means "Deputy to the Dáil". Being a Deputy means one is empowered to act on behalf of someone. Deputies are empowered by their election to the Dáil to act on behalf of their constituents. Tomás Mac Giolla did this in the best possible way. He represented all of his constituents and gave a voice to those people in Dublin West who needed to be heard, including the most marginalised and people from the most disadvantaged of communities. He articulated the thoughts, values, hopes and dreams of the people who live in communities like Ballyfermot, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart.

As a public representative and Teachta Dála, Tomás Mac Giolla sowed the idea of equality and what this might mean for the people who lived in those communities and similar communities throughout the country. Some of the issues he promoted when elected to the Dáil include why should not children of disadvantaged communities go on to third level education and why, instead of accepting that there will always be unemployment, the aim of politics should not be to ensure that there is full employment. He stated during a debate in this House on regional technical colleges that education should not be about teaching skills alone, but about enabling each and everyone of us to have fuller lives.

I was a young Labour Party activist and my father stood as a Labour candidate in a number of elections also contested by Tomás Mac Giolla. Unfortunately, the Labour Party did not hold a seat during that period. At the same time we were constantly changing our candidate. My father stood in three elections. Tomás Mac Giolla persisted and ran and ran again and got his breakthrough in a by-election in 1982 and was subsequently elected in the 1982 general election. My father tells the story of the 1989 general election, which was the last general election in which my father stood in Dublin West. While he was canvassing in Ballyfermot he approached some women at a school and asked them if they would consider voting for Labour. They said: "We do vote Labour; we vote for Tomás Mac Giolla." I say that because people perceived us as being so close, and we were so close in our values and the issues on which we campaigned.

Tomás Mac Giolla worked with other parties and he worked very closely with the local Labour Party as did his colleagues in the Workers' Party in Dublin West. One of the issues on which he felt very strongly, and on which we campaigned alongside the Workers' Party in the constituency, was the need for proper planning. At the time there were many controversial planning decisions, which Tomás Mac Giolla opposed alongside the Labour Party. He was also very strongly committed to the work of the vocational education committees, which he described as a system of education that was democratic, non-denominational, non-selective and innovative, which welcomed people that other educational institutions cast aside. He particularly highlighted the role of VECs in leading the way in adult education and how it was the first to provide education for prisoners.

I notice today that the Irish Oscar winner, Richard Baneham, went to Ballyfermot College of Further Education. Tomás Mac Giolla was very supportive of that college and the other VEC community colleges in Dublin West. He spoke in the Dáil about the innovative work of Ballyfermot College of Further Education when he raised the issue of the need to save the jobs of the Sullivan Bluth Studios animation company in Chapelizod when it was being closed and how it had worked so closely with Ballyfermot College of Further Education.

Tomás would take a brave stand. He was a very strong constituency worker, but was not afraid to stand up for the less popular route. For example, he spoke at meetings in the local community in support of Traveller accommodation. He also supported the establishment of Lucan community college when there was a very bitter campaign to try to prevent that school being opened.

Tomás Mac Giolla set an example as a Deputy for which we should aim. He stood up to the most powerful and wealthy vested interests, and those in the Dáil who would act only on behalf of the wealthy few in our society. He represented all his constituents and in particular, he spoke and acted for the most vulnerable and marginalised. He sowed the idea of an Ireland and local communities in which everyone could reach his or her full potential.

Deputy Seán Ardagh

I am glad to have the opportunity to join my colleagues in expressing my sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Tomás Mac Giolla. I have been aware of Tomás Mac Giolla's political work at national and international level for many years. It is only since 2002 when Ballyfermot and Chapelizod became part of the Dublin South-Central constituency that I became aware of the deep involvement of Tomás and his wife, May, in the many volunteer and community groups and projects in the area. Tomás and May — I hope May will forgive me for mentioning them both in the same breath — were well known and much respected by all the community activists in the area and everyone who met them.

One area in which Tomás was particularly interested was the Liffey Alliance, with the achievement of the amenity order along the river in the area. Tomás was truly a giant of a man not alone in height and stature, but also in the community of Chapelizod and Ballyfermot. Tomás is gone but he will not be forgotten. To his good wife, May, his family and friends, on behalf of the local Fianna Fáil organisation and myself, I offer my sincere sympathy.

Deputy Seán Power

I wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the wife, family and friends of the late Tomás Mac Giolla. We served together in this House for a number of years and he often spoke of his time spent in the Curragh. I often wondered if that was where he picked up his interest in horses — maybe not. No one could deny that he was a man of very deep conviction and great principle. Deputy Gilmore referred to his wit. That was one aspect of Tomás Mac Giolla that I really enjoyed. I very much admired his lovely wit, which was very much exemplified in this House shortly after the Workers' Party split. Tomás Mac Giolla left this House one week in February 1992 as a member of the Workers' Party, which then had seven Deputies in the House. The following week he arrived back with just himself. Deputies De Rossa, Sherlock, McCartan, Byrne, Rabbitte and Gilmore had departed. One of the first issues to arise in the Dáil following that split was raised by Deputy De Rossa:

The proposal in relation to Standing Orders attempts to deal with the anomalies which have arisen because of the resignation of both myself and my colleagues from The Workers' Party, thereby reducing The Workers' Party to one Deputy in this House. Clearly, I accept that one Deputy should not have the same full rights as a group in this House.

In the same debate then Deputy Tomás Mac Giolla, replied:

Despite the best expert advice, we cannot find seven. I beg your indulgence, Sir, as I would like on behalf of The Workers' Party Dáil group to express my great appreciation and thanks to myself for the great support that I have given to myself during the past few trying days. I want to assure you, a Cheann Comhairle, that there is now full unanimity and concern and that there will be no further splits in The Workers' Party.

Politics needs characters like Tomás Mac Giolla and I want to thank him for the tremendous contribution he made to public life over a long number of years. I hope that today he is resting in a happier place.

Deputy Joan Burton

I would like to be associated with all the tributes that have been paid to Tomás. While knowing of Tomás Mac Giolla over a long period of time, I really got to meet him when we went on a joint visit arranged by Senator Eoghan Harris during Mary Robinson's presidential election campaign in 1990. The visit was to the foundry in Inchicore where my father and grandfather had worked as iron moulders. Having known him from a distance as quite an austere person, I believe he got as much enjoyment as I did from that visit. I believe it was his first time in the foundry and it was certainly Mary Robinson's first time in a foundry. I believe it was a learning experience, involving a left alliance coming together to battle for her successful campaign to become the first woman President of Ireland. In that context, as a woman involved in politics, I have always considered that May and Tomás Mac Giolla constituted a team. While one of them was an elected personage, the other person was just as important a member of the team and contributed enormously to the culture of politics that Tomás Mac Giolla projected both at local and national level.

Tomás was of course a great internationalist and was very involved during my time in the Anti-Apartheid Movement. When I lived in Africa during the early 1980s, because we were living in Dar es Salaam in the tropics, all the windows in the lecture rooms were open shutters. One day I found a Korean student outside the door, who — believe it or not — admired my English, my accent and my voice. He was a North Korean student of diplomacy who was studying for a higher degree in Dar es Salaam. He asked me to record some material so that the Korean students in Dar es Salaam could practise with the kind of English I was expressing. Given what people in politics often say about my voice, it is a compliment that I always cherish. In any event, after I had done the recording, he came to our house for a cup of tea and a chat. I asked him if he knew anything about Ireland and he said he knew the great Irish revolutionary leader, "Mr. Gilly".

An Ceann Comhairle

On my own behalf and on behalf of all Members of the House I wish to be associated with these expressions of sympathy to the Mac Giolla family on the death of Tomás Mac Giolla.

Members rose.