The Seanad will now pay tribute to the late Dr. Edward Haughey. I invite the Leader to commence proceedings.
Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy
I am privileged today to lead the tributes to the former Senator, Dr. Edward Haughey. Sadly, Dr. Haughey passed away after a tragic helicopter accident in Norfolk in the United Kingdom in March 2014. I take the opportunity to express my sympathy and that of the House to all who loved Edward Haughey dearly and, in particular, to his wife, Lady Ballyedmond, and his sons, daughters and close friends who are present in the Chamber this morning. Senator Haughey was a Member of both the 20th and 21st Seanaid, that is, from 1993 to 1997 and from 1997 to 2002, where he made many notable and passionate contributions. Dr. Haughey's political career extended further than his seat here in Seanad Éireann, as he also took a seat on the red benches of the House of Lords. He became one of the first Members in decades to sit in both the British and Irish Parliaments.
As one of the better known Members of this House, Edward Haughey was not only recognised for his memorable contributions here but also will be remembered for his outstanding business achievements. Seanad Éireann has a notable relationship with Northern Ireland affairs and Dr. Haughey, with so many other Members, championed the cause of Northern Ireland and peace between Northern and Southern Ireland. At a time when Northern Ireland was suffering a bad reputation abroad, the entrepreneur in Dr. Haughey began to shine and he began to invest heavily in industry there. He took over an old factory building and transformed it into a huge pharmaceutical enterprise, namely, Norbrook Laboratories, which is one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world that employs more than 3,000 people across four continents. It is only right in this regard that Edward Haughey will be remembered for bringing significant employment and investment to Northern Ireland during the darkest days of the Troubles. As he stated himself, he never got any hand-outs and insisted he was a self-made man, which indeed he was. In this regard, it is both interesting and fitting that Members should be holding these tributes to Dr. Haughey at a time when both the British and Irish Governments have announced their commitment to the resumption of North-South talks and to bringing people together. I am sure that during his time as a Member of Seanad Éireann, Dr. Haughey's sound advice and counsel was sought on Northern Ireland affairs by both sides of the Upper and Lower Houses.
Once again, I extend my deepest sympathy to the Haughey family and thank them for taking the time to come here on their journey to join with Members in the House to pay tributes. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Tá an-áthas orm, dáiríre, go bhfuil an seans seo againn inniu chun ár mbuíochas agus ár meas do Edward Haughey a léiriú. Ba dhuine faoi leith é agus thug sé misneach agus inspioráid dúinn freisin. During the years many distinguished people have served in Seanad Éireann from the worlds of literature, culture, art, sport, agriculture and industry. There is no doubt but that Edward Haughey was foremost among those distinguished people who have served here. He served for two terms, having been appointed by Albert Reynolds and by Bertie Ahern. During his time in the Seanad, he was spokesperson on Northern Ireland, as well as being a member of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.
On looking back through his speeches in the Seanad in recent days, I realise the contribution Edward Haughey made at that time in bringing peace to Northern Ireland because coming from the background from which he came, he brought a unique perspective to Northern Ireland. He had spent a number of years in New York, where he learned so much about what his own future would hold subsequently. When he eventually came back in the late 1960s - at the time as a lone trader - he put into action everything he had learned in America. From that position, Members should consider the current status of Norbrook Laboratories. It employs 2,000 people, not just in the North of Ireland but from both North and South. The value of its exports runs into hundreds of millions of euro at present and its payroll alone is in the region of €75 million and makes a major economic injection into the local economy. I mention this because this was the unique perspective to which I refer, because ultimately, what was important was his political philosophy. He believed that politics was the vehicle towards stability and equality. That was what was important and he had a specific vision of stability and equality. He also believed that each individual should be able to aspire through hard work to improving his or her own lot, as well as that of the nation.
I served with Edward Haughey during his second term in the Seanad and when I look back on his contributions, it always struck me that he was a very focused gentleman. He did not use words lightly, each word was measured, and he always realised the seriousness of the turbulent times being experienced in Northern Ireland during that era in our history. However, with hindsight one can now see the building blocks he put in place to ensure his contribution would provide the stability of which he always thought. He had one great motto in life, which could apply to everyone in this House, as well as to all human beings, and that was that he was elated by success but importantly, he was educated by failure. To me, that encapsulates what all our lives should be but it was important from his perspective that he acted according to the principle. It is one reason he was so admired, not just on this island but internationally as well. I do not believe any person ever achieved so many honorary doctorates as did he both in Ireland and abroad. I was going through the list and he must have at least 30 or 40 exceptionally impressive and significant achievements in his own lifetime. However, he never forgot the spirit of work and did not believe in waste, because he was a determined person and would see opportunities where someone else would not.
At the same time, Edward Haughey always remembered other people.
He was the philanthropist par excellence. We need only look at Dublin alone where he donated £1 million to the new veterinary hospital in the university in Dublin. Interestingly, it is named as a permanent monument to Albert Reynolds because of the work Albert Reynolds did for peace. He donated £1 million to research also. When we weigh and think about the effect that investment of his generosity had on the lives of other people, we conclude it is absolutely unique. It also continues to grow and multiply.
There is no doubt that Lord Ballyedmond was a family man in every sense of the word. I welcome Lady Ballyedmond, Caroline, James, Edward and friends also. It is because he was a family man and the family worked together, encouraged and supported each other that his successes were so huge and important to the lives of so many people. When I realised he was here in the Seanad, I often felt there was something particularly generous about the fact that somebody who had so much at his disposal and had already achieved such a strong foundation in his own life, his family and his business was prepared to come in here on a regular basis and at a time when it was most needed to make very focused contributions. That was appreciated by all open-minded and right-thinking people at that particular time.
I listened to Donie Cassidy, a former Leader of this House, paying tribute today to Edward Haughey. Donie Cassidy had a wonderful and productive working relationship with Edward in those years. Donie would always remind me that when Edward left this House and went back to Northern Ireland or to any part of the world, he always brought with him the importance of Seanad Éireann and the platform which it gave him. We can use the word "visionary" very lightly. That is true. He was a visionary. There is no doubt. However, he was also - as Edward said in his eulogy - an enigma and a very complex man. Now we have the opportunity of revealing all that to ourselves and putting it on the record of the House. Not only was he a visionary, he was also inspirational and above all else he was an innovator. It is so sad that at the peak of his success, ability and opportunity he should be taken from Lady Ballyedmond and the family. However, I have no doubt - from what I have heard from Donie Cassidy and from what I have read - that the family have a basketful of good memories. The family will have those memories for many years to come. I have no doubt that his legacy will not go unnoticed and that many of the things which he did not complete in his own lifetime will be brought forward.
We are so happy in Ireland today that the peace process is embedded, that it is rooted and that we are beginning to see the fruits of peace and justice on this island. However, the more we think about it, remember it, celebrate it and commemorate it, the name of Edward Haughey will always be central to that story. That is why I am so pleased, with the Fianna Fáil Party, to have the opportunity to contribute in a small way today. This is a limited time. We have only so many words. How can so much in such a short time be encapsulated? I am very anxious that Edward's family would appreciate that what we are saying is heartfelt. We too have been inspired by him, his life, his words, his actions and his achievements. Please God, we will go forward with that motto - which I mentioned - in all our lives. That we would all be elated by success but that we would also be educated by failure. Go raibh míle maith agaibh. Go raibh ráth Dé ar a anam, agus le cúnamh Dé, he will not be forgotten, not just in this House, but in any part of Ireland or wherever he has worked, practised, served or interacted. There is no doubt about it. He was special and he was extraordinary.
I now call Senator Ivana Bacik, leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad.
I join others on behalf of the Labour Party group and as leader of the Labour Party group to pay tribute to the late Dr. Edward Haughey who as others have said served as a Senator in this House for two terms, from 1994 and again in 1997. As we know, he died very tragically earlier this year. I particularly wanted to speak personally because two of Edward's children, Caroline and Edward, are former students of mine in the law school in Trinity. I extend to Caroline and Edward and James and Mary not just my own personal sympathy and that of the Labour Party group but also the sympathy of all my colleagues in the law school in Trinity College Dublin. I have specifically been asked to do so by the head of the law school, Dr. Oran Doyle. There is a strong family connection with Trinity College Dublin which really does appreciate it and I, as a Trinity Senator, appreciate it. I had a very productive working relationship with them, particularly with Caroline, on criminology research as a student. I know what great students they were and how very much we value them as alumni of Trinity College Dublin.
I wish to say a few words about the late Dr. Haughey who I did not know personally, but who, as others have said, was a very successful entrepreneur and who combined successful careers in both business and in politics across two islands. In a unique sense, he contributed an enormous amount to his local community and to the broader communities in Britain and in Ireland. He brought many jobs to Newry, as founder and chair of the Norbrook veterinary pharmaceutical company. I am told there are thousands of jobs across four continents with Norbrook. Others have spoken of the success of that business.
Dr. Haughey combined that with a successful political career. The Leader of the House has said that he was the first person in decades to serve both as a Senator in the Upper House but also in the House of Lords in England. He must have been unique to have served two terms as a Senator nominated by different Fianna Fáil Taoisigh and for him then to go on to become a sitting Member of the House of Lords for both the UUP and, subsequently, the Conservative Party. He had a truly unique political career which was influential on both sides of the Border. As others have said, he brought a unique perspective on Northern Ireland to the Seanad. This House has always had a particular interest and affinity with the politics of Northern Ireland. Many of his obituaries mentioned the work he had done behind the scenes on the peace process. This was done at personal risk to himself and his family. He did become a target - as we know - for dissidents at a certain time. His philanthropy was also commented upon as were the donations he made - often anonymously - to different projects such as local schools and at third level.
There was a very important obituary in the London Independent which referred to his time in the House of Lords, to which Dr. Haughey was appointed in 2004, when he became Baron Ballyedmond and how he had moved at that point into the heart of the British establishment. An anecdote points out that he was sitting next to Margaret Thatcher at a House of Lords' dinner in 2008 when she became faint and was taken to hospital. Clearly he had a political career that spanned contact at very high levels in Britain and in Ireland. The same obituary in the London Independent spoke of his reluctance to delegate and his success as a self-made businessman. There was a lovely quote from the local journalist, Eamonn Mallie, who said that Edward Haughey:
...gave a huge lifeline to south Armagh. He took over an old factory and he turned it into a huge concern. He was an absolute dynamo, a phenomenon, he just couldn't stop - that's the sort of guy he was.
The obituary quotes tributes from across the political spectrum and others too. Those sorts of tributes encapsulate the great achievements that Edward Haughey had in a career that was all too sadly cut short.
I conclude by expressing my own sincere sympathy to Dr. Haughey's wife, Mary; Edward, James and Caroline; to those family and friends who are present today; to his son-in-law, whom I have just met, and to other family and friends and to convey our sympathy on behalf of the Labour Party group and my colleagues in Trinity College Dublin.
I am taking a slightly different role today because I have heard so many wonderful stories about our friend, Eddie Haughey.
I got to know him very well. The very first time I met him, he and his wife, Mary, and I and my wife, Denise, were at a dinner in Dublin. I was introduced to him as Senator Feargal Quinn. It must have been about 1993; I had just become a Senator. It was fairly clear that Eddie did not know a great deal about life down here at that stage. He certainly learned later. He asked me what state I came from and I asked what he meant by state. He assumed I was American. He did not even know that there was a Seanad here. He then collared me and asked how one can become a Senator. I talked to him about that and said I would love to see somebody like him in the Seanad because I have a criticism when I see a Government being run by people who have never had to worry about finding the money to pay the wages at the end of the week. I told him that I would like to see more business people like him in the Government, the Dáil or the Seanad or anywhere else. I was thrilled when he became a "twofor" - I think that was his term. He told me a "twofor" was someone who gets two for the price of one and that he was going to bring both business experience and Northern Ireland experience to the Seanad. That is exactly what he did, as we heard from Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú. He created Northern business here and he was able to get involved and talk about it. He became a spokesperson for the Fianna Fáil Government at the time. I do not believe he ever took the Whip to the extent of saying he was going to do what he had been told to do.
Our offices were across the road in Kildare House and we used to walk over whenever a vote took place. I explained to Edward that the pedestrian lights between Kildare House and here were the fastest moving pedestrian lights in Dublin, in case a vote were to be called and we were at the other side of the road and were to miss it by a few seconds. On one occasion he talked to me about how he had tabled an amendment. I said that was interesting and he said that it was against a Fianna Fáil policy. I said to him to go ahead and do it. I was normally voting against the Government at that time but in that instance I was going to vote the other way around. He had such a sense of humour and joy and he really enjoyed being here. Others who have spoken today have spoken of the joy he took in being deeply involved in Northern Ireland affairs but also in business affairs.
I had another link with Edward in that my grandfather came from Attical, which is not that far from Ballyedmond. Some years after I had first met him, Edward had an illness and was out for a few weeks. I was going to a family funeral in Attical and I phoned his office to see how he was and if I could get in touch with him as I would be going past Ballyedmond. Even though he had been out of action and laid up, he still went to work there on occasion. He should not have been doing it and he said he would be back to Ballyedmond Castle in a few minutes. I waited for him and he showed me around with such great pride and with great stories. He was a storyteller galore and could entertain so well.
When my daughter, Gillian, who is a friend of Edward's daughter, Caroline, was invited to Caroline's 21st birthday, she said the hospitality that Mary and Edward gave was such that everybody felt welcome in Ballyedmond Castle. They also felt welcome here. I remember he invited me to have a look at his house in Fitzwilliam Square. We walked over and what a lovely house it was. We got an invitation to dinner there one night, but he did not get outside caterers to do the dinner. He got his own team from Ballyedmond Castle to come down to Dublin and entertain his guests here, and what a great night it was. A number of us from the Seanad were invited on that occasion.
My last time to meet Edward was at the time of Seanad reform. The referendum took place a year ago this week. He immediately offered to do anything he could to help. He was very happy to get involved in that. When we had a little lunch - I would not say celebration - afterwards, he came down and met many old friends here and everyone remembered him so well. We got a jolt when he died but I prefer to look back on today as a celebration of a life that fitted so much into it and also brought so much joy to so many of us. What a great success story it has been to have somebody who could be successful and still have that sense of family, humour and personality that he was able to instil in everyone he met. I am happy to say to the family here today that we miss him, and they miss him, but I am sure he is looking down at us and smiling and saying: "I think I made a mark. I think I made a difference." He certainly made a difference to everybody with whom he came into contact and to people in Northern Ireland, certainly around Newry, where my father grew up, and in north County Louth as well. I hope he is looking down at us and that he is proud of the team that has come to pay respects to him today. I know we are proud of him as well. This is a man whom we will not forget, whom we honoured and enjoyed, and a man who showed us what can be done if we are determined to do it.
It was wonderful to hear the lovely flowing language of all the other contributors. I have neither the blas nor all the colourful talk that I heard especially from Senators Labhrás Ó Murchú and Feargal Quinn. I served with him in the Seanad from 1997 to 2002. It was a major achievement that he had served in a previous Seanad and was appointed by two Fianna Fáil Taoisigh. I remember him as a kind and friendly man although I did not know him terribly well. I met him a few times with former Senator Maurice Manning. He loved telling stories and sharing a joke, and in that sense he was great company. We are always reminded of him now when we are on the train to Belfast because we pass by Norbrook Laboratories. It is a magnificent monument to him. I extend my sympathy to all of his family here today. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Tá áthas orm mo chomhbhrón agus comhbhrón mo pháirtí a chur in iúl inniu sa Seanad maraon le mo chomhghleacaí, an Seanadóir Labhrás Ó Murchú. I, too, am glad to offer my sympathies today on behalf of my party, with my colleague, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, and express them to the family. I met former Senator Haughey on one occasion at Trinity College with Caroline, who was in my class. He was certainly put to good use by Caroline on the law society committee to get very high profile and important guests for debates. That is certainly something that sticks in my memory.
When we think of people who have been appointed by Taoisigh - Edward was perhaps unique in being appointed by two Taoisigh - we look at who was appointed as well. Former Senator Gordon Wilson was appointed in that same Seanad in 1993 by Albert Reynolds, and former Senator Maurice Hayes was appointed in 1997 by Bertie Ahern. They are the sort of people that the taoisigh of the time were appointing to the Seanad and it is always instructive to look at one's colleagues on the list of Taoiseach's nominees. It speaks to what the taoisigh at the time were trying to do in building links between North and South, promoting understanding here of what was going on in the North and in the North of what was going on in the South, and bringing the countries together. Edward's family can rightly say he played a significant role in that regard.
He did not just clock in and out during his time in the Seanad, as very few do, but actually played a full and key role with Members here in terms of legislation. I understand he also played an important role within the Fianna Fáil Party at the time. I again express on behalf of my party my heartfelt condolences to the family. It was a terrible shock when their father and husband died and we certainly felt for the family and are still thinking of them today.
The late former Senator Edward Haughey was born in Kilcurry, County Louth, close to the Armagh border. I attempted last Saturday to imbibe his spirits there. From Faughart I took a right turn and as I went down that road, the man from Newry was delivering Royal Mail, probably as close to Dundalk as his route would take him. I took another turn and the speed limit signs were in the metric system again. I felt that a man from that vicinity would be very well placed to play a notable role in the reconciling of the two traditions on this island. The loyalty of Edward Haughey to his home place of Kilcurry was recognised. A boulder outside the very impressive community centre states it was built "with the generous support of Dr. Edward Haughey and the people of this community". That community centre was formally opened by the former Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Dermot Ahern, on 15 June 2003.
There is a vintage sycamore tree in the village, which will be over 200 years old next year and which has survived many car crashes and attempts by Louth County Council to knock it down for road-widening. It is stated that it marks the boundary of three townlands: Kilcreevy, Balriggan and Carrickedmond. That set me thinking that Lord Ballyedmond started off in the townland of Carrickedmond, and he did not forget his roots. That is acknowledged in the community to this very day. He emigrated to New York on leaving school, where he acquired a prodigious reputation for hard work in selling animal drugs. As my fellow Senators have said, he returned to Newry in 1968 to establish Norbrook Laboratories, which employs 3,000 people, 2,000 of them in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Haughey's investments in research and development led to the patenting of a long-acting antibiotic drugs for animals, which brought him export orders from the United States and Africa. He had animal drug products in the entire market range; as he said himself, he could cater for anything from a poodle to a lion if animal pharmaceuticals were needed. Norbrook Laboratories won the Queen's award for export achievement four times and the Queen's award for enterprise in 2011. Those honours followed, as Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú said, honorary degrees, including from the University of Ulster, and an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He was by then one of the largest veterinary drug suppliers in Africa and 80% of the output from Newry was exported.
In his political career Dr. Haughey ranged, as Senator Thomas Byrne and others have said, from Fianna Fáil to the Ulster Unionist Party to the Conservative Party. He came to this House on the nomination of the Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, on 30 December 1994, in the presence and in the tradition of great Ulster Senators like Gordon Wilson, Seamus Mallon, John Robb and many others. He served also on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. A man with strong south Armagh and County Louth links, he was ideally placed to represent one tradition to the other. He persuaded David Trimble and the Ulster Unionists to sign up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. After that, David Trimble nominated him to the House of Lords and he shared the distinction of being a Member of Parliament in both countries with people like Henry Grattan. As he was loyal to his neighbours in his youth in Kilcurry, so he was loyal to this House. As Senator Feargal Quinn said, when we had the contest between David and Goliath to abolish this House and David won, Edward Haughey supported David. We are very grateful for that support and for his encouragement. It was invaluable because Edward Haughey made a stand on our behalf when so many people in the other House wanted to see the end of the Seanad, for which we are grateful to him.
On 30 March 2014, Edward Haughey was killed in a helicopter crash in Norfolk along with his colleague Declan Small from Mayobridge, a friend of the family. We also extend condolences to his family and to the families of the pilots, Carl Dickerson and Lee Hoyle. At his funeral Mass in Newry cathedral, Canon Francis Brown praised Edward Haughey's generosity to many good causes. He said that Edward made many significant donations over the years to educational establishments and charitable organisations. Most of these were never published, and many charities and schools in the locality benefited. I have in my possession very tender letters from Caroline, saying how much her father admired this House and how much he liked to visit Trinity College when his children were studying there. As Senator Ivana Bacik said, that is reciprocated fully by us; we valued him hugely.
In Newry, Canon Brown praised a man who was "self-taught, hard-working and determined, with a thirst for knowledge". Reading through his biography, one sees that Edward Haughey's father died two months before he was born and his mother, Rose, was responsible for rearing him. We think of her today and that the family is now reunited. Later that day, after Canon Brown had spoken, Edward Haughey returned to Kilcurry for the last time. He was a remarkable man who never forgot his neighbours from his boyhood years. May he rest in peace in Kilcurry. Again, all of us in this House extend our condolences to his wife, Mary, and his children, Caroline, James and Edward. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
I am glad to have an opportunity to join in the condolences to the Haughey family and in our tributes to the late former Senator Edward Haughey. I served with him on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation and on the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and it is fair to say that he is one of the unsung heroes of the peace process. In politics, and life, the limelight shines on just a few but people like the late former Senator Haughey played a significant role in bringing all traditions on this island together.
Dr. Haughey's commercial life and record speaks for itself but his political life is also quite fascinating. He was a person who served as a Fianna Fáil nominee in the Seanad and then served another jurisdiction as an Ulster Unionist and a Tory peer. This shows how bridges can be crossed, how divides can be brought together and how politics can bring about real change. Much of the work which has stemmed and flowed from the peace process and the good we see coming from it is the result of the input of people such as the late former Senator Haughey. I know he truly enjoyed his time in this House. I know from my time as co-chair of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly that he enjoyed his membership of that committee. Along with interesting political characters such as Peter Brooke, Michael Mates and Seamus Mallon, he was a very significant voice on that forum. He was an interesting alternative voice which forced all of us to recognise that life and politics and particularly the British-Irish situation was not as black and white as we sometimes thought. His role was significant and he will be fondly remembered.
Dr. Haughey's death was a great tragedy but his family can be consoled by thoughts of the significance of his memory. His influence was so strong and, as some of my colleagues who knew him much better pointed out, the charitable work and the benefits which flowed from that are and will be a lifelong monument to his memory. I join in the tributes to a very great man who will be long and fondly remembered.
As Leas-Chathaoirleach, I would also like to be associated with the tributes to the late Dr. Edward Haughey, who was a Member of this House from December 1994 to 2002. As has already been said, he was appointed by two Taoisigh, the late Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern. I will not go over the salient, interesting and important points made by many of the speakers today on both sides of the House, but if memory serves me correctly, there is a west Cork dimension to the appointment of the late Dr. Haughey.
I am subject to correction, but I believe my memory is not dim yet. I was in the Seanad up to January 2002 and lost out, which is part of politics, but in the spring of that year a young man from west Cork was appointed to this House. The appointment of Brian Crowley, MEP, was an important one because he was the first person in a wheelchair in the Seanad. He has gone a long way since. In the summer of 1994, Brian Crowley, MEP, was elected to Europe with a phenomenal vote. The arising vacancy allowed the then Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, to appoint Edward Haughey as Senator.
I have a speech but I do not usually stick to a speech when I know someone. I was in the Seanad with Senator Edward Haughey as I was re-elected in 1997 until 2002. I attended at least one of the renowned parties to which Senator Quinn referred. I will say no more about that. It was enjoyable to say the least.
I have an abiding memory of the late former Senator Haughey. As one speaker said, he was not a person who came to the Chamber every morning and spoke on the Order of Business. He spoke when he had something to say, which was not frequently, perhaps once a month. From my conversations with him I am aware that he was an astute listener to what was going on in the Seanad. He met people and heard what Members on all sides had to say. He listened. One of the biggest criticisms levied at me by a friend of mine in politics many years ago is that my one problem was that I do not listen. To be successful in politics one must listen to what is being said. That is true on both sides of the Border. The late former Senator Haughey moved the peace process into the Chamber through his influence in business and otherwise. My abiding memory is that he was a man who had achieved huge success as an entrepreneur. He did not need the Seanad from the point of view of income, but he was appointed on two occasions and made an excellent contribution. He was one of the pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of the peace process. He was an honest broker who listened in a quiet and unassuming way and took the message back to the North.
That is my memory of Dr. Haughey. I am pleased to be present to convey my sincere sympathy to his wife, Lady Ballyedmond, his sons, daughter Caroline, and his extended family and friends. As one speaker said, we are present to commemorate his contribution to Seanad Éireann. It is a sad loss but it is also a celebration. We will stand for a minute’s silence and say a prayer or whatever else people wish to do.
Members rose.
Sitting suspended at 12.35 p.m. and resumed at 1 p.m.