It is with the deepest regret that I rise to express my sincere sympathy on behalf of the House and as Leader of the Fianna Fáil group to the wife and family of the late Deputy Michael Ferris, who served proudly in both the Dáil and Seanad for many years.
I also extend my sympathy to the Labour Party which has lost a loyal and true champion.
Michael Ferris first entered the Seanad on the agricultural panel in 1975 and served until 1977. He was again elected in 1981 and continued to serve until 1989, when he was elected to Dáil Éireann. During his service in the Seanad he was leader of the Labour Party group for a long period and was the first Deputy Leader of the Seanad between 1982 and 1987. A true gentleman, he earned the respect and admiration of those on all sides of the House, who saw him as a diligent and hardworking parliamentarian.
I knew Michael Ferris personally and will always remember him as an outstanding public representative who carried the Labour Party flag with pride. He was vice-chairman of the Labour Party from 1979 to 1986 and was a long-serving member of Tipperary County Council from his election in 1967, chairing the council from 1973 to 1974 and again between 1981 and 1982. He was also a member of Tipperary UDC and was chair of that body from 1987 to 1988. He was a member of the South Eastern Health Board from 1973 to 1985 and was chairman of the board from 1974 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1979. He was a member of Tipperary South Riding ACOT committee from 1969 to 1970 and from 1977. He was chairman of the General Council of Agricultural Committees from 1982 to 1983 and was also a member of the Bansha Agricultural Show Society – his home town – from 1980 to 1987; he was president of that society from 1995.
In the Oireachtas, Michael Ferris will probably be best remembered for his great work on the Joint Committee on European Affairs, as a member of the Dáil Committee of Selection, the Com mittee on Procedure and Privileges, the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Executive of the Irish Parliamentary Association, the Joint Committee on Standing Orders, the Select Committee on Finance and General Affairs and, most recently, as chairman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation, of which I was also a member.
On behalf of Seanad Éireann and the Fianna Fáil group in the House, I offer my sincere sympathy to his wife, Ellen, and their four sons and two daughters. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam.