Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 Jul 1949

Vol. 36 No. 21

Death of Clerk of the Seanad.

An Cathaoirleach

It is with feelings of deep regret that I announce to the Seanad the death of our Clerk, Mr. Seán Malone, and I find it very difficult to restrain my emotion when referring to this sad event. He had identified himself so completely with the life of the Legislature since the setting up of our own Government and, more particularly, the reconstitution of the Seanad in 1938, that he had come to be regarded almost as an inseparable part of the institution.

The daily Press has already described Mr. Malone's collaboration in the building up of procedure in our Parliamentary institutions. No man better fitted could have been chosen to act as secretary to the commission which resulted in the re-establishment of the Second House of the Oireachtas and no better choice could have been made for the post of the Clerk to the new Seanad. Senators from all parts of the House will bear testimony to the great devotedness of Mr. Malone to his work. I do not think that he was ever absent from the Seanad on a sitting day until within recent months the illness which proved to be his last, laid him low.

Mr. Malone was superbly equipped for the exercise of his functions as Clerk, and in that respect no words of mine would adequately express how personally indebted I have always been to him. To every Senator he made himself available at all times and on all occasions, rendering services wherever needed and of whatever character required.

Mr. Malone worked not merely for the present but for the future. He left behind him a valuable brochure on Parliamentary procedure in our State. He made notes as he went along of everything which he thought could be of permanent value in the development of our legislative machinery. Someone will be found who, it is hoped, will gather together these notes in proper from and thereby provide a lasting record of his great work.

Mr. M. Hayes

I would like to be allowed to add something to what you have so fittingly said about the loss we have sustained in the death of the Clerk of the Seanad. Mr. Seán Malone was not only a great State official but he had a character, a freshness of mind and a personality which made him stand out among men. Senators who made his acquaintance for the first time through their membership of this House found that he was not only an infallible and lucid guide to the intricacies of Parliamentary procedure but also a very warmhearted human being for whom no labour was too great or no task too insignificant, not only for the House itself, but, as you have said, in the service of individual members of the House. It was my privilege as Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil to have for a number of years intimate and daily acquaintance with Seán Malone when he was head of the Journal Office, and the more contact I had with him the more I admired his qualities of mind and his devotion to his work. No more happy or helpful choice could have been made for the Clerk of this House when the Seanad was reconstituted in 1938, and it was a great pleasure to me to renew official contact with him then.

It should be remembered, I think, about the work of Seán Malone when he took a great part in the building up of Parliamentary practice here on which he became an acknowledged authority, that it was completely new work, in the doing of which no help was available to him from any person in Ireland, in the doing of which no person in Ireland had any experience at all. He was well equipped for the exercise of authority, because he had a sound grasp of principles, a calm judgment and unfailing accuracy. All the powers of his acute mind and his tenacity in argument—and Senators know how tenacious he could be in argument—were used for the purpose dear to his heart, to make this House —indeed both Houses—a genuine national institution. The advice which he tendered to you, Sir, or to any Senator was based on his own reasoning and on firmly-held convictions. I know that he was prepared to stand up for his own opinion as a good servant of the State ought to do, unflinchingly, in the course of his duty with all comers, including the highest in the land. I have seen Seán Malone in conference with heads of Governments, Ministers and the Attorney-General and in every case he was tenacious in argument and lucid in exposition.

Very few laymen were as well informed as the late Clerk of the Seanad on both the meaning and practical workings of the Constitution since 1922. He had read widely and deeply with great benefit to himself and to the work of the Oireachtas. He was a versatile man. Only last year, at my suggestion, he was asked to lecture at University College, Dublin, on Central Government for students taking a course in Public Administration. He was then nearly 65 years of age, and proved most successful in what was to him a completely new sphere. Here in Leinster House he was fair and friendly and helpful to all his colleagues and subordinates. Last year he accompanied an Irish delegation to a British Commonwealth Conference and it gave great satisfaction to the members of the conference from this House and from the other House to see how Mr. Malone's knowledge of procedure and his manner of approach inspired the greatest respect among members of various Parliaments who were meeting an Irish official for the first time.

Seán Malone was fired by a real enthusiasm for his duty. He was a notable member of a band of very able transferred civil servants who made a vital contribution to lay the foundations of an Irish State and to build up national institutions here in Ireland more than 25 years ago. By his death, Senators have lost not only a supremely competent official, but a kindly and helpful personal friend. We pray that God will give rest to his soul. I would like to ask you, Sir, to have an expression of our regret recorded on the Journal of the House and to convey to his widow and to his family the sympathy of the House.

Seán MacGiobúin

A Chathaoirligh, ba mhaith liom aontú leis an méid atá ráite i dtaobh iar-Chléireach an tSeanaid, Seán Ó Maoileóin. Bhíomar ag obair le céile ar feadh i bhfad agus tá a fhios agam chomh mór agus tá caillteanas orainn.

I wish, on my own behalf, and on behalf of the Senators on this side of the House, to associate myself with the tribute which has been paid to the late Mr. Seán Malone, Clerk of the Seanad. I was intimately acquainted with Mr. Malone for many years and during that time I appreciated his great ability, his knowledge and his wide sympathies. He was ever at the service of any Senator or Deputy who needed help or guidance in relation to matters of Parliamentary procedure, or, indeed, in any matter that arose from a member's work on behalf of his constituents. As first Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, constituted following the adoption of the new Constitution in 1937, I had, as Clerk, the services of Mr. Malone. He was a tower of strength to the newly-formed body, and, from its very outset, the Seanad, I may say, moved forward with the utmost smoothness and efficiency. This Seanad owes a lot to Mr. Malone's work, and, although members may come and go, the Seanad, guided by the wise precedents which Mr. Malone helped to establish, will perform its appropriate function with dignity as a House of the Oireachtas.

Reference has already been made here and elsewhere to Mr. Malone's grasp of Parliamentary procedure and to the handbook which he produced for the guidance of present and future members of both Houses. I am aware that that was only the beginning of the services which Mr. Malone intended to render in that respect. He had materials collected for a future work of a much more comprehensive character to which he would have devoted the years of his retirement. Providence did not permit that to be done, and so we must only bow to His inscrutable Will and pray that Mr. Malone is now reaping the reward of his unselfish and unstinted devotion to the building up of one important side of the national effort—the Legislature of the State. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his widow and family. Beannacht dílis Dé lena anam.

Mr. Douglas

Might I, as one who has been a member of this House right from the beginning and who had close personal associations with Mr. Malone during all that period, say that I am in complete agreement with everything that you, Sir, and the two previous speakers have said? There is little that I can add. I just want to say that when I heard of Mr. Malone's death I felt a keen sense of personal loss. He had not only our respect for his ability and his integrity, but I think it is true to say that he also had our affection.

Minister for Finance (Mr. McGilligan)

Might I be allowed to intrude an expression—on behalf of members of the Government and, indeed, of the Deputies of Dáil Eireann —of my association with what has been said in appreciation of the services of Seán Malone, lately Clerk of the Seanad? Most members of Government at some time and of the Seanad and Dáil Eireann have sought his aid and assistance. They always found that it was generously afforded by Mr. Malone. Under his expert handling, this institution, and, I think, other institutions of the State, prospered and were developed. Those who met Mr. Malone recognised his happy approach to matters and the humanity that he brought to the discharge of his official duties. I think members of the House will agree with me that all of us hold his memory in most affectionate regard. I would like to be associated with what has been said of him.

Senators rose in their places.

An Cathaoirleach

I direct the Assistant Clerk to place on the records of the House the appreciation of Seanad Eireann of the services rendered by Mr. Malone as its Clerk. I direct him further to convey to Mr. Malone's widow and family the message of sympathy in their bereavement of the Members of Seanad Eireann.