Do chuir an nuacht gur cailleadh Garret FitzGerald inniu an-bhrón orm go pearsanta. Polaiteoir, fear léinn agus iriseoir den chéad scoth a bhí ann. Bhí sé an-tiomanta i leith choincheap na seirbhíse poiblí agus d'fhreastal sé go stuama agus go gnaíúil ar son phobal na hÉireann. Bhí suim ar leith aige i ngnóthaí eachtracha agus Eorpacha, agus thuig sé tábhacht na hEorpa maidir le todhchaí na tíre seo. Rinne sé an-chuid oibre chun fadhbanna Thuaisceart na hÉireann a réiteach agus chun na traidisiúin agus na pobail éagsúla ann a thabhairt le chéile.
I am deeply saddened by the death of Dr. Garret FitzGerald. Dr. Garret FitzGerald has made an enormous contribution to Irish politics and to wider society. He served the Irish people with great intelligence, decency and commitment in a lifetime devoted to public service. He was a hard-working politician of compassion and ability. He was a prolific journalist of insight and understanding. He was a brilliant academic of versatility and knowledge.
Dr. Garret FitzGerald came from a political family. His parents had been involved in the War of Independence and Garret's father, Mr. Desmond FitzGerald, served as a Minister in the first Irish Free State Government. From his parents, Garret learnt about the value of public service and it was a lesson he did not forget. His entire career — indeed, his life and times — have been devoted to an overarching commitment to public service. He worked night and day for the betterment of our people. Dr. Garret FitzGerald was defined by his enormous and sincere interest in public affairs.
As a politician, a commentator or an academic, he was always open and generous with his time. Unlike many intellectuals, he also had the gift of listening. He was often right, but he was never obsessed with his own views. He always made an effort to listen to others and he was tolerant of those with whom he did not agree so long as they pursued their goals or objectives in an orderly and peaceful manner.
In his autobiography, he tells the story of how he was known as the "child of reconciliation". His father had taken the Free State side in the Civil War, but Garret's godparents were Seán and Margaret MacEntee, both prominent republicans, and Seán MacEntee was a founder of Fianna Fáil. That lack of bitterness, unusual for its time, had an impact on Dr. Garret FitzGerald and he had a great respect for political opponents.
On a personal level, as a young student in UCC from the late 1970s on, I developed a huge interest in politics. I first canvassed in the elections where Mr. Charles Haughey and Garret went head to head. These were titanic election battles and for those us who remember them, or who were involved, we will always recall Garret as an iconic figure in Irish politics and a politician whom one could not but help respect and admire.
Dr. Garret FitzGerald served for two terms as Taoiseach in the 1980s during difficult economic days. He started his career in politics in Seanad Éireann in 1965, which, in the context of current debate, we might reflect on, and he was a Deputy for Dublin South-East from 1969 to 1992. An extraordinary vote-getter, he topped the poll in his first election to the Dáil and would do so in every other election up until, and including, 1987.
He was an immense political organiser. He took over Fine Gael when the party was at a low ebb. He built Fine Gael up again, restructuring and growing its organisation, and breathing new vitality and energy into his party. He took it to 70 seats in November 1982, which, at the time, was an unprecedented level of support for the party. That, by any standards, was an immense political achievement from an outstanding politician of his generation.
As Taoiseach, and prior to that as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Garret FitzGerald was a strong advocate of peace in Northern Ireland and the resolution of its problems was a lifetime passion for him. Inside or outside of politics, he did what he could to foster reconciliation. He was an implacable opponent of those who espoused violence as a means to a lasting political solution on this island and he worked sincerely towards building an Ireland free of conflict.
He has the distinction of having being intimately involved in the Sunningdale and Anglo-Irish agreements. The child of reconciliation, as he was labelled in the aftermath of the Civil War, had become a politician who made an immense and lasting contribution to peace and reconciliation on this island. He passionately opposed sectarianism, opening his autobiography with the story of where, as an innocent child of four or five, he made a derogatory remark about the religion of his father's colleague, Ernest Blythe. Garret was surprised to hear his mother reply that she, too, was a Protestant. That lesson also stayed with him and in his career, he worked assiduously to heal the wounds on this island and bring Catholic, Protestant and dissenter together. In this respect, he was a pluralist republican and a patriot.
He was a strong supporter of the European Union and he was passionate about the benefits European Union could bring to this country. Even in recent years, although he had long stepped out of the arena of party politics, Garret took to the campaign trail with vigour and determination to help ensure the passing of EU referenda. I remember canvassing with him during the second Nice referendum and his knowledge of the issues was still infallible and immense. He also brought to campaigning an enthusiasm that was infectious and an energy that left this younger man finding it hard to keep up.
I recall also his strong and visionary speech on his final day as Taoiseach in 1987. Following Mr. Charles Haughey's election by the Dáil, Garret quickly came to his feet and extended his congratulations. He said some inspired words that still have relevance to us and our times. That speech, which is on the record, related to the economic and budgetary measures that the incoming Government would have to take and he offered his support for any legislative action required by that Government to implement the appropriate and necessary budgetary provisions. In essence, those words sowed the seeds for the Tallaght strategy that made an important contribution to Ireland getting beyond our last big financial crisis. He perhaps did not receive the credit he deserved for this and for moving beyond the log-jam of adversarial politics. His words were generous and were those of a politician who put the country before politics. It is this type of sentiment that we should all reflect on today. We need this kind of thinking if Ireland is to surmount today's challenges.
Although my party did not necessarily agree with Garret on every political issue, I greatly admired his integrity, his abilities and his unfailing politeness and courtesy. He was a person who cared deeply about Ireland and he has given distinguished and patriotic service to our people.
Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís. I extend my sympathies and those of the Fianna Fáil Party to his family, to John, Mark and Mary, and to his friends within the Fine Gael Party.
