There is a statement to be made by the Leader of the House.
Death of Member.
It is with a sense of deep regret that I ask the Seanad to adjourn as a mark of respect to our colleague, Senator Jackie Daly who died today. Senator Daly who was present in the House this morning has died due to heart failure.
Senator Jackie Daly was a credit to this House. He was in good standing with all the Members. Indeed I had a personal regard for him for many years even before I came into the Seanad because he was associated with me in the Irish Motor Industry. As a council member of the Irish Motor Industry he fulfilled his role as a nominee of that body, never losing an opportunity to fulfil the obligations that were put on him by that industry.
The magazine of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry was issued yesterday. It dealt with ten years of problems associated with the industry but it was fulsome in its praise of the work that Jackie Daly did on every occasion that an issue had to be raised on behalf of the industry.
As the Whip of the Fine Gael group, Senator Daly was always approachable. He never created problems when problems should not arise. He will be missed by his party but he will also be missed by those of us who serve in this House. I would like to pass a vote of sympathy to his family and I suggest that the House adjourn as a mark of respect to the Senator.
I understand that is by agreement. After we hear Senator Bulbulia we will pay the tributes in a less emotive way next week.
I rise to second the motion to adjourn the House. I do so with feelings of deep sorrow at the loss of our Fine Gael Senator, Jackie Daly, who adorned this House and gave it sterling service during all the years he was a Member. Jackie Daly served this House with diligence and with enthusiasm and we, on the Fine Gael side, are bereaved and we are in fact stunned by the suddeness of this event.
He was with us this morning. He was busy with his work as Whip to the Fine Gael group. He spoke to many of us this morning and it is very hard indeed to think that he is not with us. We extend our very deep sympathy to his daughter, Fidelma, about whom he spoke very frequently and with deep affection and to his two sons who loved him dearly and whom he loved in return. We would welcome the opportunity, when we have had time to consider the work of Jackie Daly to pay full tributes to him next Wednesday. For now I would like to once again express the deep sorrow and regret of the Fine Gael Group and our feelings of sympathy to his family who have been so suddenly and so sadly bereaved.
I would also like to extend my very sincere sympathy to the Daly family on the death of Senator Jackie Daly, especially to his daughter and his two sons. I have known the Daly family well all my life. I knew Jackie Daly years before he got into politics as he was a neighbour of mine. He lived in Castleisland before he went to Killarney to do business. Indeed, I will say about Jackie Daly that he was a very approachable fellow. He was a very gentlemanly fellow. Indeed, it was always very pleasant to have a chat with Jackie Daly here in the House. I would count him as a very good friend of mine. I wish to extend my very sincere sympathy to the Daly family on the untimely death of Senator Jackie Daly.
On behalf of the Labour Party, I want to agree with the proposal of the Leader of the House to adjourn this House as a mark of respect and to avail of next week's opportunity to pay our proper and appropriate respects to Jackie. We were all with him this morning. We were all with him actually just when he left for the hospital. He joked with us. We felt he was going to be all right because he expressed the wish that we would stop worrying. He expressed the wish that we would continue with the business we were to be dealing with today, which he had an interest in. It is appropriate that we should adjourn.
I was elected with Jackie the first time we came in here. I came in with him in April 1975. It is appropriate that we should speak about him at greater length. It is a great shock to all of us. He was a friend of all of us and it is unbelievable, having spoken to him less than an hour ago, to find him gone from us now. I agree that we should adjourn as a mark of respect and pay our tributes to him next week and extend our sympathy in the meantime to his family.
I will be brief like all the other speakers. I too would like to extend my sympathy to Jackie Daly's family. He will be a great loss to the Fine Gael Party. I knew him well as he came from County Kerry. Indeed, whatever the issue was, whether it was in north, south, east or west Kerry, he was always there to help from a non-party point of view and he was respected for the attitude he took. As a fellow Kerryman, I would like to propose a vote of sympathy.
I would like to say how deeply I regret the passing of Senator Daly. I just left the Chamber to let some of my colleagues know the news and I have been asked to express the grief of the Independent group. I would like personally to say how always unfailingly courteous I found Senator Daly and in particular I remember him very generously sharing with me a debate on an Adjournment Matter on a subject in which he felt that I also took an interest. I am very shocked. I saw him, as many people here did, just within the last hour or so and I would like to associate myself and the Independent group with the tributes and the expressions of sympathy.
I would like to be associated with what has been said. I will speak again about Jack next week. You have a stunned feeling at this stage. You do not want to believe he is gone. He was such an Irishman. A while ago when we thought he would be all right he turned to Senator Hogan and warned him to look after some county manager. I thought it was lovely. I am feeling shocked now. I am sure the Minister will understand if I adjourn the House. When is it proposed to sit again?
At 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 May 1988. I must apologise to the Minister that we are unable to take his business today.
The Seanad adjourned at 2.25 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 May 1988.