Before calling on the Taoiseach to move a motion for the suspension of Standing Orders under Standing Order 143(2), there are two matters to which the House wishes to address itself. First, I call on the Taoiseach to move a vote of condolence in respect of a former colleague, the late Willie O'Brien.
Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy.
It is with deep regret that, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party I express sympathy to the family of the late Willie O'Brien, former Fine Gael Deputy. I now hand over to Deputy John Bruton, leader of Fine Gael, to lead the messages of condolence.
I thank the Taoiseach for graciously inviting me to speak on this subject. It is a matter of deep regret to his friends on all sides of the House that former Deputy Willie O'Brien has passed away. Those of who knew Willie O'Brien well — there are many in this House who did — will remember his infectious sense of humour, his sense of fun, his sense of a good practical joke, his sense of making light of conflict and his ability to defuse a difficult situation — this obviously applied particularly in the party to which he belonged because of course difficult situations never occur in the Dáil. He was able to defuse difficult situations within the party — there are of course many in every party — with a humorous remark which brought matters back to their true proportion.
Willie O'Brien was a loyal and loving husband and father to his family. He was a person who put the welfare of his constituents in west Limerick before his own personal convenience and he was willing to be available to help them in any way possible. He obviously had a particular loyalty to his native village of Patrickswell. At his beautiful funeral ceremony I was very struck by the way in which the parish priest, on behalf of the people, recalled the work he had done for his specific immediate locality around Patrickswell in west Limerick.
There was a serious and broader national side to the work of Willie O'Brien. He was, as many people in the House will recall, chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown. He enjoyed a very happy and united family life, but in that capacity he showed great understanding and sympathy for those who did not have the same happy experience he had in marriage. He worked, in times that were perhaps more difficult than they are now, for the promotion of reforming legislation in the area of marriage breakdown. He worked for consensus for change in this area. He understood the need for change. Parties on all sides made a very constructive contribution — the then Opposition, Fianna Fáil, notably did also — to the committee which he chaired.
Willie O'Brien worked to achieve a consensus for change and that was a fitting reminder of his approach to politics. He used his many skills, personal as well as intellectual — his humour and sense of fun — everything he had to contribute to promote consensus for change in this important area. His passing will be deeply mourned by people on all sides of the House. On behalf of his close colleagues and friends in Fine Gael, I wish to convey to his wife and three daughters our deepest sympathy on this terrible and irreplaceable loss for their family, Patrickswell, west Limerick and Ireland.
I wish to say a few words about the late Willie O'Brien, former Fine Gael Deputy. I offer my deepest and most sincere sympathy to his wife, Phil, and his three daughters. It would be hard to improve on the tribute already written about him by Deputy Michael Noonan. He described a man who was obviously a very good friend, a good humoured man with a very keen mind although he had little formal education, a man who always had his feet on the ground and served his constituents exceptionally well as a county councillor in the early 1960s, as a Senator in the late 1960s, as a Dáil Deputy in the late 1970s and as chairperson of the Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown. It is very interesting to read the contributions at that committee under his chairmanship and note the pragmatism, commonsense and sincerity of all contributions. Willie O'Brien was, in short, a real gentleman, the salt of the earth.
On behalf of the Government I extend our sympathy to his family, his many friends in Limerick and throughout the country and to his colleagues in the Fine Gael party. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar an anam Dilis.
On behalf of my Labour Party colleagues, I extend our deepest sympathy to the family of the late Willie O'Brien whom I knew very well. He was a humble and self-effacing man who had a tremendous sense of humour as Deputy Bruton said. Many of the qualities attributed to him by Deputy Bruton might be useful in this House at this time. He approached his work with a sense of duty and obligation. He was a firm and solid representative of the people of Limerick West both as a county councillor, Senator and Member of Dáil Éireann. He was a man from whose experience in public life many of us could have learned much.
On behalf of my colleagues, I extend our sympathy to his wife and three daughters and his colleagues in Fine Gael, both at local level in Limerick West and at national level.
On behalf of the Progressive Democrats. I extend our sympathy to the widow and three daughters of the late Willie O'Brien and also to the Fine Gael Party. I served on the allparty committee on marriage breakdown chaired by him. I concur with the remarks made that he was a fine chairperson. It was a difficult committee. Many people held strong views on marriage breakdown yet, we had a chairperson who sought to reconcile those differences and accommodate all points of view. As Deputy Bruton said, he was held in affection by Members on all sides of the House and was well respected and trusted. He was an honourable politician, a decent man and will be sadly missed by everyone in politics but especially by his wife and family with whom we sympathise today.
I join with the other party leaders in conveying my sympathy to the wife and family of the late Willie O'Brien and also to his party colleagues. I only had a brief acquaintance with him but in that brief acquaintance I knew him to be a decent and honourable public representative who served his party and constituents well. I wish to convey my sympathy to his wife and family.
Cé nach raibh aithne phearsanta agam ar an tUasal Willie O'Brien, ba mhaith liom comhbhrón a chur in iúl dá chlann, dá bhean chéile, dá chairde agus do mhuintir Fhine Gael.
I did not know the late Willie O'Brien but the family of somebody of his standing deserves our sympathy. On behalf of the Green Party, Comhaontas Glas, I extend our sympathy to them, to his friends and to Fine Gael.
I am the successor of the late Willie O'Brien in Limerick West. As everybody knows, Willie gave a lifetime to politics both at council and national level. The sentiments expressed today encapulsate the man. He was an example of what a good public representative should be. It did not matter to what strand of society one belonged all people were welcomed by the late Willie O'Brien. He was an honest, genuine and caring person and I join with others in extending my sympathy to his wife, Phil, and family.
I join the Taoiseach and other Members of the House in this expression of sympathy to Mrs. O'Brien and her family on the death of Willie. I worked with him both at local level and in this House during his political career and I found him to be a person who held strong views and was always in touch with the community he represented so well. Nobody has mentioned that he was a great GAA man and a great hurling fan, as he should have been coming from Patrickswell. He genuinely gave a top class service to the people he represented and was always prepared to sit with his constituency colleagues to further a particular cause. When he retired from public life he was a great loss to County Limerick and his political party. Mar a dúirt Tomás Ó Criomhthain in "An tOileánach", ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.
(Limerick East): I have already had an opportunity to express my sympathy to the O'Brien family but I would like to do so again in the House. He was a close friend of mine and was very much loved in the community he served. I again express my sympathy to Phil, Annette, Mary and Mary Rose.
Members rose.
I now call on the Clerk of the Dáil to make a statement on the Return to by-election Writs for the constituencies of Cork North-Central and Cork South-Central.