Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Jan 1987

Vol. 115 No. 12

Tributes to former Clerk Assistant of Seanad.

An Cathaoirleach

I received a letter from the Department of the Taoiseach, dated 7 January, which states:

I wish to inform you that the Taoiseach, acting on the joint recommendation of the Ceann Comhairle and the Minister for the Public Service, has appointed Mr. Kieran Coughlan, Clerk Assistant of Seanad Éireann, to the position of Clerk Assistant of Dáil Éireann with effect from 7 January 1987.

I have no doubt that our loss here in the Seanad is the Dáil gain. There is not much we can do other than say of Mr. Coughlan that we wish him well, we wish him luck and we will certainly miss him. Personally, I will miss him because he was more than helpful to me. I have no doubt he was more than helpful to every Senator in this House. I know that on numerous occasions he brought home work with him and worked late at night in order to have it up to date and to be ready for the following day's sitting. All I can say is the best of health and the best of luck to him. We will miss him sadly.

Professor Dooge

I would like to join in what you have said. Apart from yourself probably nobody worked more closely with Kieran than I did as Leader of the House and therefore I am in a position to know the full measure of his qualities, his dedication to his work and his helpfulness. What impressed me most of all was the rapidity with which he learned the intricacies of the operation of this House. Right from the very beginning he was always ready with wise counsel, with information and with precedents. He was indeed the model of a Clerk Assistant. It is our tragedy that these excellent qualities will now be at the service of another House.

Mr. Lanigan

I wish to join with you, a Chathaoirligh, and with the Leader of the House in congratulating Mr. Coughlan on his elevation to the position of Clerk Assistant of Dáil Éireann. I am not too sure if it is an elevation in reality but the civil servants seem to think it is an elevation. I would prefer if he had stayed here. I would like to thank him for the courtesy he has shown me and every member of the group here during the past number of years. Every time we had a problem he was ready and willing to offer advice and to help in every way possible. As Senator Dooge said our loss is the Dáil's gain. Nevertheless, I sincerely hope that the loss may be temporary. I sincerely hope that, in the not too distant future when the opportunity might arise, we will see Mr. Coughlan back here having been further elevated from the other House back to this House.

Mr. Ferris

I join in the tributes to Kieran Coughlan. I worked very closely with him when the Leader of the House was absent. I always found him the most courteous official, completely and totally impartial in the way he handled queries from me as Deputy Leader of the House, as leader of my own group and with responsibility for lodging Private Members' motions on behalf of my party. I never found Mr. Coughlan anything but helpful. He was also efficient in the way he advised you on the way things should be done according to the order of the House. He never showed any political bias in handling any of the queries I put to him. I sincerely hope he will have a successful term of office in the other House for as long as he wishes to remain there. No doubt further opportunities will come his way in the future. He was an excellent young officer of this House of which all of us were very proud. We must remember that he has always been guided by a staunch and stout handling in the presence of our present Clerk of the House whom I suppose all of us have come to know personally over a number of years. From the moment he announced one's election until the dissolution he was always very friendly and helpful to each one of us. He is a tribute to the Clerk of the House. That is the kind of officer that the Clerk managed to put through his hands. I welcome Miss Deirdre Lane from the Parliamentary Section who is acting as Clerk Assistant and now graces the Chamber; I am not sure for how long but she is very welcome.

Mr. B. Ryan

Mr. Kieran Coughlan would be blushing if he heard all these things being said. The simple reality is that they are all true. Having been given political credit for three or four different pieces of Private Members' legislation, I can testify to the enormous amount of work that he put into assisting me personally in that and all other areas. Independent Senators lack the support of a group, but in terms of being able to contribute to this House it would be difficult for me to overstate the contribution that Kieran made.

I first encountered Mr. Coughlan when he was Clerk to the Building Land Committee when that started. A phenomenal amount of submissions and documents which that committee received had to be dealt with, summarised and put into an intelligible fashion by Kieran Coughlan. That was the first time that I realised his abilities. He was then promoted to Clerk Assistant of the Seanad, where we had further evidence of his abilities. I would simply like, on behalf of the Independent Members, to congratulate him and to express a certain regret that he is gone from us, but nevertheless to wish him well in his new position.

Mrs. Honan

It was only on Sunday that I heard that Mr. Coughlan was going to the Dáil. I suppose everybody is well aware of my views on whether you are promoted when you go to Dáil Éireann or whether you are demoted. This, to me, is the important House where legislation is passed. I am sorry to lose Kieran Coughlan and sorry that this House has lost him. Senator Dooge, as Leader of the House, has claimed that he, as Leader, had worked very closely with Mr. Coughlan and I totally accept that. I as Leas-Chathaoirleach and Kieran Coughlan as Assistant Clerk would be considered the two lesser beings of this gracious House.

Mr. B. Ryan

No way.

Mrs. Honan

I wish him well and I am not too sure that he has made the right decision.

I hope to stand in a new Seanad in the not too distant months ahead and hope that we may again see Mr. Coughlan back here. I hope that he does well and that he will be happy in the move that he has made. Sometimes politicians are accused of not being too sincere, but all who talked of Kieran Coughlan here today meant absolutely every word they said. I thought when the late Frank Geoghegan — God rest his soul — was here that he could have no equal as Clerk Associate to Mr. Tobin. Mr. Coughlan changed my views on that, because he was equal to him.

Mr. Killilea

I just want to add my voice to the many fine remarks passed regarding Mr. Coughlan. He had a charm and an elegance about his business that was great to see in a person in the public service today. I do not know whether people here deem this promotion or not — I could safely say that 90 per cent of them do — to move from this House to the other House. I say that it would be a rightful promotion for Kieran Coughlan. When dealing with Adjournment matters or the various matters, often of a political nature, raised in this House, his help, assistance and ability in interpretating the question of being asked and putting it into the phraseology appropriate to suit you, a Chathaoirligh, were outstanding. It is little wonder that a man of his calibre, integrity and ability to communicate should travel fast in the public service today. I wish Kieran Coughlan every luck. It is a tribute to Mr. Jack Tobin and his ability to make the Seanad a great place to work in that people like Kieran Coughlan can get promotion from it. It is a credit to him, too.

As Senator Honan said, women's influence in the House is obviously becoming very strong. That is a welcome move, We have today a lady on the staff. I think that will stop all the talk we sometimes hear and I wish everybody well. I particularly wish to compliment Kieran Coughlan on very fine public service and may he never change in the way he performed his duties here.

Mr. Smith

As one of the Members of the House who is hoping to be demoted to the Lower House in the not too distant future and will have the opportunity from there, to continue working with Kieran Coughlan, I want to take this opportunity to say a brief word of thanks to him for his many courtesies to all of us during the past years. I think we would acknowledge that the management of any of the Houses of the Oireachtas is an intricate, involved and top-class management position. To cope with all of the different matters that can arise—to see that the procedures are carried out in accordance with precedent and to understand all of the different aspects of legislation that come before this House demands a lot of ability. Kieran Coughlan's impartiality, his courtesy and his ability to do the job was second to none and I wish him all the best for the future.

Mr. Fitzsimons

Since I have been elected to the Seanad I have met many people of exceptional talent and character and Kieran Coughlan was one of these. I want to thank him for all the help he has given to me. I know he is not capable of being uncaring or saying an unkind word. On many occasions when I approached him rather late with amendments he was always helpful. I wish him well in the future.

An Cathaoirlech

Let us hope he will be back. That is all we can say for him.