Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 20 Oct 1999

Vol. 509 No. 5

Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy.

The Taoiseach

It is with the deepest regret that everyone in the House and people throughout the country learned of the passing of one of our greatest statesmen and sportsmen, Jack Lynch. To many people's minds he will forever be the real Taoiseach. Born in the shadow of the Shandon Bells, he always exuded a special charisma which great sports people have brought to politics and he displayed a unique blend of charm, competence and integrity.

Jack Lynch was a brilliant student, possessed an excellent temperament and was fired by great courage and stamina. Following his first election in 1948, he served in the House for 34 years until 1981. He initially served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Government, dealing mainly with the Gaeltacht and what were then called "congested locations", a term which has another meaning today. He served as Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1959 to 1965 and moved on to become Minister for Finance. Later he served as Taoiseach, Leader of the Opposition and Taoiseach again. He did an enormous amount of work and was always conscious of his Cork roots. When he was elected Taoiseach in 1966, he returned triumphantly to Glen Rovers in Blackpool to the people he loved so much.

Before his political triumphs, in addition to being a student and being called to the Bar, he served with distinction in the Civil Service, an experience he enjoyed. He was a legend because of his efforts on the sports field, winning All-Ireland finals in both hurling and football. His success in this area came mainly in hurling, with one exception in 1945 when he won a medal for football. That brought him to prominence nationally, a position he never lost. As we approach the end of the millennium, we recall what he said at the graveside of Christy Ring. If I could slightly twist the words he used on that day I would say: "As long as young boys swing the camán for the sheer thrill of the tingle in their fingers of the impact on ash of leather, as long as hurling is played, the story of Jack Lynch will be told and that will be forever."

In political terms, for his party, Fianna Fáil, Jack Lynch was an electoral phenomenon from his first election to becoming Taoiseach in 1969 to the astonishing landslide in 1977 when I was honoured to be elected on that high tide of victory. Fianna Fáil is proud of his magnificent contribution to Irish life and we acknowledge the strong leadership he always gave the party. Today I cannot but remember that some of those days were very difficult. There were turbulent times of great emotion at the end of the 1960s and in the early 1970s when he had to take the hardest steps to control and unite the party and deal with many difficulties. He did so, however, with the necessary toughness on the basis of bringing coherence and leadership to the country in order to ensure that democratic principles were upheld. He will always be remembered for that.

During the difficult period to which I refer, he gave the country stability and confidence and successfully protected democracy. He did so because he was a politician of integrity. He began his political life at a time when the first generation of our nation's leaders were still at the helm. He modelled his public life on their example and moulded it in their company. For Jack Lynch, public life was a life of service dedicated to principles in which he quietly but passionately believed. His conduct in public life is a model to which succeeding generations should aspire and I hope they do so.

Our special sympathies go to his devoted wife, Máirín. I spoke to her at some length before entering the Chamber and extended to her the sympathies of everyone in the House. She shared, more than most people could, his busy public life and quiet retirement years. She reminded me this morning of the difficulties of the past six years which they endured with a strong, independent spirit and in almost public silence. We thank her for her years of service to the nation with Jack and we express our deep appreciation to her, the members of Jack's family and the members of his great support base in Cork.

As Taoiseach, Jack Lynch helped to lay the foundations of this country's economic success. As has been acknowledged on many occasions in the House, he also made a great contribution during his tenure as Minister for Education. When this country moved to more prosperous times he was Minister for Industry and Commerce, Minister for Finance and Taoiseach during the prosperous 1960s. He was responsible for the Third Programme for Economic Development and for the introduction of collective bargaining and negotiations with the social partners which we follow in the successful 1990s. He introduced innovative measures such as school transport. With Paddy Hillery, he played a major role in the ten difficult years of our application to join the European Community and as Taoiseach he brought us into the European Monetary System in December 1979. For these and for so many other things, he will be remembered affectionately by the Irish public as a man of great ability, compelling charm and soft humour. We were privileged to know him and to serve with him. My party and the Irish nation mourn his passing greatly. We thank him for all he did. I thank him, particularly, for what he did for the development of Fianna Fáil. He changed Fianna Fáil's policy on Northern Ireland. He initiated the campaign for unity by agreement and we followed that campaign in making the Good Friday Agreement. This is different from what happened in the past and for that the country will be extremely grateful.

On behalf of the Government, the Fianna Fáil party and all the people, and on my own behalf, I express our deep sorrow on his passing from us. Ar dheis láimh Dé go raibh a anam fíor-uasal agus go gcanfaidh sé i measc na n-aingeal go deo. Ba ghile mear i gcónaí é.

Mr. J. Bruton

It is fair to say that Jack Lynch epitomised politics as the service of the public. He was a servant of the people in the truest sense of the word. To those of us who knew him, his most memorable characteristic was the self-effacement he showed in his dealings with other people. He never put himself forward as being better than other people and courtesy in his dealings with friends and opponents alike marked his approach to politics. That courtesy came from an inner confidence and the belief in political standards that epitomised his entire life.

The Fianna Fáil party will feel his passing very greatly. Jack Lynch epitomised all the great good that is in the Fianna Fáil party. He had a great sense of patriotism and a belief that the nation is greater than the individual. Yet his was a sense of nationhood which did not seek to take advantage of any other group of people. It is no accident that Jack Lynch, more than perhaps anybody else, was responsible for changing attitudes in this State to the problem of Northern Ireland. More than anyone else, he led a majority of the population in this State towards an attitude of respect for Unionists, in place of the antagonism towards that important Irish community which had marked previous generations in all parties to some degree.

Jack Lynch showed immense personal courage in dealing with the exceptionally difficult circum stances of 1970. For any Taoiseach to do what he had to at that time involved a huge personal toll. It is not easy to ask a number of Ministers to depart from office. These were pillars of the party and had given it great service but for particular reasons Jack Lynch felt he had to ask them to leave office, and he was right. It is not easy in any circumstances to ask people to resign from office but Jack Lynch had courage and did not flinch from doing what he believed was necessary in the interests of the peace and security of all the people of this island at that time. Anyone who might have been deceived into thinking that Jack Lynch was merely a kindly person who did not have the inner steel necessary for leadership could not hold to that conclusion after he had shown himself able to take very tough and hard decisions in 1970.

Clearly he was a man of enormous talent. Seán Lemass probably enjoyed being Minister for Industry and Commerce more than any other job he ever held, including that of Taoiseach. When he came, as Taoiseach, to select another person from all the talent that existed then in the Fianna Fáil party to take on the job that he considered the most important in Government, he chose Jack Lynch. Seán Lemass who was a good judge of character and ability knew he was choosing a very good man for that job. In that capacity and subsequently as Minister for Finance, Jack Lynch was responsible, with Seán Lemass, for bringing forward Ireland's first application for membership of the Common Market, soon to become the European Union.

Jack Lynch had a great sense of humour. He enjoyed company and social outings. I know from his former colleague in Cork, the late Stephen Barrett, that the two of them used to meet for their favourite tipple after almost every election count. Generally Stephen Barrett had to buy the drinks because Jack Lynch had done somewhat better in the election although there were occasions when Stephen Barrett did a little better than Jack.

The country was very lucky to have Máirín Lynch working alongside Jack during his period as Taoiseach. I crossed paths with Máirín Lynch only last week and at all times she had a respect for those of us who work in the political arena which Jack served so well. She has an instinctive sympathy with those who put themselves forward in politics and face the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" in this House. She knew the hard things that had been said about Jack Lynch and that some of them were said even from these benches. She also knew that people in politics were there to serve and were doing their best. Jack Lynch always did his best and Máirín was, in a sense, a mother to all of us in her dealings with us. She looked kindly on us and was concerned for the welfare not just of politics but also of mere politicians.

This loss, although expected in some ways, came very suddenly this morning and we have not had time to compose words which would pay suf ficient tribute to a great Irishman, a great human being and a great servant of the Fianna Fáil Party. I extend the sympathy of Fine Gael to everyone in the Fianna Fáil family on this great loss. Whatever they may have felt on particular occasions in history, this is a personal loss for every member of Fianna Fáil and a very sad day for Ireland.

Mr. Quinn

On behalf of the Labour Party, I express my sympathy to the Lynch family, particularly Máirín Lynch, and to the Fianna Fáil family, who have lost a giant of a politician and statesman in Jack Lynch. He was first and foremost an extraordinary sportsman, as the Taoiseach said, and a legend in his own lifetime before he entered politics. He learned on the playing field a combination of skills which he brought into the political arena. After a long period of apprenticeship, that resulted in him emerging as one of Ireland's major statesmen in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His courage with Séan Lemass in pursuing entry into the EU will be seen in retrospect as a major historical step. It is extraordinary for the young people who are in the public gallery that we are talking about a man who is mentioned in history books now but who was real for many of us in this House.

The other part of history that is indelibly marked by his contribution was his extraordinary courage, skill and understanding during a period of enormous turmoil in Ireland after the Troubles erupted in the North in 1969. It is hard for us in the South to understand the passion on the streets of Dublin as the British Embassy was burned. I recall being outside it when that happened. It is hard to contrast the extraordinary relationship that we currently have with our neighbour in London as witnessed by yesterday's visit by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with the raw anger on the streets of Dublin in the early days of the 1970s. Jack Lynch was one of the few people who steered us away from that abyss to the level of understanding, co-operation and mutual respect that Dublin and London have for each other now. Everybody in this House knows that was not easy. This country is a better place alone for the leadership he displayed on that occasion irrespective of political outlook. It was truly a time when a statesmen rose above the loyalty and pride of party politics.

I have a number of personal memories of Jack Lynch. I was elected to the House in 1977, against the tide, along with the Taoiseach and some other current Members. Jack Lynch was the real Taoiseach who had been re-elected with a landslide majority of 22 seats and I recall as he walked down the corridor some days after he had been elected Taoiseach the electric excitement that was associated with those times in the Dáil. I stood aside to let him and three or four people who were animatedly talking to him pass by and he stopped. He put out his hand and said "congratulations, very good performance in the circumstances". He knew my name because I had met him previously but he recognised, as Deputy Bru ton said, the common purpose we have in the House irrespective of political divisions, which always exist.

Nobody should think that his gentleness, politeness or modesty was in some way to be mistaken for weakness or indecision. He was truly the iron fist in the velvet glove and those of us who doubted that were quickly reminded in the same way as his opponents on the field of play. However, he played within, and observed, the rules at all times. I express a particular word of sympathy to my colleagues – and I say that as a public representative – in the Fianna Fáil Party and those outside the House who are ardent members of the party. He was a leader of whom they should rightly be proud.

While sadly they were not blessed with children, as Deputy Bruton said, Máirín in their political partnership adopted all of us who entered the political arena. Theirs was a political union and I have no doubt that she was at his side in different ways on many lonely occasions. She has my sympathy and that of everybody in the House. At a time when the profession of politics is in some disrepute and those of us who serve the citizens of this Republic are questioned about our motives, nobody could ever question the motives of Jack Lynch in serving this country. His modesty, both in his lifestyle and the way in which he treated everybody else, is a standard to which all of us should aspire in future.

The Tánaiste

I extend my condolences and those of the Progressive Democrats Party to Máirín Lynch on her sad loss and to the Taoiseach and the Fianna Fáil Party. Almost 20 years ago Jack Lynch retired as Taoiseach and more than anything else his life in politics proves that a very ordinary person can make an extraordinary contribution. Jack Lynch was born when this country was under British rule but, notwithstanding that, he presided over the maturing of Ireland. He took up the Lemass legacy in many ways, whether it was in the Department of Industry and Commerce or, subsequently, as Taoiseach.

Thirty years ago when Northern Ireland erupted we were fortunate, indeed, that somebody such as Jack Lynch was Taoiseach. When some sinister elements sought to plunge the country into war he remained determined to defend democracy and uphold the rule of law. Twenty years ago speaking in Waterville, Kerry, he said that we did not want to pressurise our fellow Northern people to take a course in history that they did not feel ready or able for. That remains as relevant today as it was then.

He always had respect for other people. What I remember most about him was his ordinariness and modesty. If one had not known that he was a former Taoiseach, one would never have known. He was a man of simple taste and in his biography, written by T. P. O'Mahony, he said that while he played hurling and football he learned how to be a team player, deal with victory and defeat and have the control and self-dis cipline that is important in both political and sporting life. Jack Lynch steered Ireland into the EU, which was a major step forward for the country.

He was Taoiseach at a testing and difficult time and, as previous speakers said, notwithstanding his demeanour, he was a man of steel. He always knew what was right and wrong. When he left public life, he maintained a keen interest in political affairs up to recent times and it is sad that he was ill for so long. He had a painful illness for six years and Máirín remained steadfast in supporting him as she did throughout his life.

I do not believe that I would be in politics if it were not for Jack Lynch. There were not many options 22 years ago for a young woman without a political pedigree and if I had not been appointed to the Seanad then I doubt very much whether I would have pursued a career in politics. I owe everything I have achieved to him and I thank him for that. I have come to enjoy politics and if it was not for the opportunity he gave me, that would not have happened.

He wanted to bring young people into politics then. He was always anxious to explore new ideas and ways of doing things. He was very much involved in developing free education, which is now the norm in Ireland, and the Taoiseach referred to school transport. Jack Lynch knew that by equipping people with a good education, one opened up enormous opportunities. He could have had a lucrative and successful career at the bar. He was successful while he practised but he chose public service and he was in every sense a public servant. He was not in politics for any personal gain and was a man, notwithstanding the fact that politics can often be divisive, that united people and his integrity shone all the time. He was highly respected by people in every walk of life, particularly his political opponents, something unusual. He was loved by his allies and his opponents and richly deserves everything that has been said about him. We are not good at teaching modern Irish history and I have no doubt there are many young people in Ireland who have hardly heard of Jack Lynch, that is the tragedy. It is often many years before we appreciate and understand the contribution made by outstanding figures and he was, in every sense, an outstanding statesman. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Sargent

Thar ceann an Chomhaontais Ghlais, the Green Party, is mian liom comhbhrón a dhéanamh le muintir Jack Lynch agus lena bhean uasal, Máirín, go mór mór.

Níl aon dabht gur laoch mór a bhí ann i saol na polaitíochta, saol Cumann Lúthchleas Gael agus saol Chorcaí. I gcónaí beidh Jack Lynch i gcroí Glen Rovers agus St. Nicholas agus i gcroí muintir Blackpool agus the Glen i gcathair Chorcaí ach go háirithe. Mar laoch spóirt ba cheannródaí é agus i mbliain a bháis is trua nár éirigh lena chondae an corn peile chomh maith leis an chorn iománaíochta a thabhairt leo.

Is trua chomh maith go bhfuil polaiteoir agus státaire imithe a raibh meas ag an t-úafás daoine air. Fear macánta, séimh, umhal, cumasach agus cairdiúil a bhí ann. Bhuail mé leis uair amháin cúpla bliain ó shin tar éis seirbhíse in Ardeaglais Phádraig i mBaile Átha Cliath. Bhí aithne súil agam air ach chuaigh sé go mór i bhfeidhm orm nuair ba léir go raibh aithne aige ormsa chomh maith agus rinne mé comhrá an-chairdiúil leis agus lena bhean, Máirín.

Iar-Aire Tionsclaíochta agus Trachtála, iar-Aire Oideachais, iar-Aire Airgeadais agus iar-Aire Gaeltachta a bhí ann, ach is mar Thaoiseach is mó, ar ndóigh, a bheidh cuimhne agam air. Is mór an cailliúnt don tír agus d'Fhianna Fáil é ach go háirithe go bhfuil Jack Lynch imithe. Níl onóir níos fearr ag polaiteoir ná an leasainm "the real Taoiseach"– an leasainm a bhí aige agus a mhairfidh go deo. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Members rose.

Sitting suspended at 11.05 a.m. and resumed at 12.00 p.m.