I call on the Leader of the House to express the sympathy of the Seanad to Senator Wilson on the recent tragic death of his son.
Expression of Sympathy.
It is with the deepest sense of sadness that I propose this expression of sympathy on the tragic death of Peter Wilson, son of our colleague, Senator Wilson. That the Wilson family should have to endure this double tragedy is hard to accept. As Senator Wilson said: "What more can befall of us? We have suffered so much."
We in the Seanad who have come to know Gordon personally can only hope and pray that his faith in God, which clearly shines through all his political work, will give him and his family the strength to bear this unbelievable burden. Those of us who attended the very moving service of thanksgiving in Enniskillen could not but be struck by the church and the community which were of immeasurable strength and support to the Wilson family. On behalf of my Fianna Fáil colleagues I express our deepest sympathy to Peter's wife Ingrid, daughters Eloise and Judith, to Gordon and his wife Joan, and to Peter's sister Julie Anne.
On behalf of the Fine Gael Senators, I join with you, a Chathaoirligh, and the Leader of the House in the moving tribute he has paid and sympathy he has expressed to Senator Wilson. It is an indication of the special place Gordon Wilson has carved out for himself in the minds and hearts of the people on all parts of this island that the universal reaction to the tragic death of his son Peter last week was horror and shock and a profound sense of sympathy at how much one man and one family were being asked to bear.
The Leader of the House referred to the very moving funeral service; it was a tribute to the affection which Gordon Wilson has in all our hearts that so many people from all parties in this House, and officials of the House, journeyed to Enniskillen to be present with the Wilson family at this moment of unutterable sadness. As the Leader said, we were profoundly impressed with the faith of the people present and the simple but very moving service, but in the midst of it all, our hearts had to go out to Peter Wilson's widow, his two young daughters and to the family who have shown us all such an extraordinary example during these difficult times. On behalf of my colleagues, I join in the expression of sympathy to our dear colleague, Gordan Wilson.
I do not know what we can say to offer comfort to Senator Wilson at this time. It is sad that a family who had to go through a tragedy should suffer another one, particularly when peace had come, a peace for which Gordon has worked so hard and which he should have been able to enjoy. As other Senators said, he has been an inspiration to us and to all the people on this island. His message to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation last Friday, following the vote of sympathy, was that although he and his wife had suffered a tragedy, it was worse for his son's wife and children. This is an indication of the way Gordon Wilson thinks. That is an indication of how, even at that stage, he was thinking of someone else rather than himself. On behalf of my party, I extend my sympathy to Senator Wilson, his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
A couple of weeks ago the Taoiseach said in the Dáil that no matter how great the distress of public life is to a public person, we must always remember the great distress and grief borne by those in the background and by the family. Those of us who were at the service for Mr. Peter Wilson last Saturday saw the tremendous courage and dignity of a family in the background and the way they accepted God's will in the terrible loss — the second — for their family. Watching their acceptance of a terrible tragedy for a second time and seeing the people in that church made us understand even more why Senator Wilson is such a constant witness of the need for peace in this country and why we should be ever grateful for people such as the Wilson family and those who were there that day.
The death of Peter Wilson is a terrible loss for Gordon. As others have said, we must remember, particularly today, the great loss for his family. It is important to remember that Mrs. Joan Wilson would have been at the cenotaph that day had it not been for the fact that she plays the organ in the church we attended last week. It was a long time after the service before they realised there had been an explosion at the cenotaph and Joan Wilson learned that Marie had been killed and her husband badly injured. I know Peter's loss is terrible for her.
We must remember that what we have gained as a result of Senator Wilson coming into public life and accepting the offer to be with us in the Seanad, Joan has lost. She is on her own in the evenings, although she has a good social life and teaches the violin. I occasionally telephoned her in the evenings and she often said that Peter would be calling in later.
One saw the great courage of Ingrid Wilson, who teaches in the Model School, and of Eloise and Judith during the service. I remember Eloise and Judith being on "School Around the Corner", they were wonderful. I wrote to Gordon and Joan later and said how proud they must have been. They said they were proud of the children; and they must have been proud of them last weekend too.
While we and Ireland have gained a lot as a result of Senator Wilson being among us, it is important to remember that his immediate family have lost a great deal. The first day we came into the Seanad I explained my family's connection with Senator Wilson's family; my father was given his first good job by Senator Wilson's father. It is extraordinary that a family who always seemed to give should have, once again, something taken away from them. It is extremely hard at times to understand God's will but, having seen their courage last Saturday, I am sure they will bear this bereavement. Our prayers and sympathies will be greatly appreciated by the Wilson family and their friends.
On behalf of the Progressive Democrats I, too, would like to extend our sympathy to Senator Gordon Wilson, his wife, Joan, and particularly Peter's wife, Ingrid, and their two daughters, Eloise and Judith. I, like many of the Members of this House, attended the ceremony in Enniskillen on Saturday and looking at that family it is very difficult to understand why one family can be expected to accept so much suffering. The death of a child is not in the natural order of things. To have a child taken from you as Gordon and Joan have with their daughter Marie is difficult enough, but to lose a second child would seem almost impossible to bear.
I am sure that once again through their great courage and inspiration and strength of character Gordon and Joan will come through this and Gordon will once again be able to join us here in the Seanad where he can do so much, and where so much remains to be done. As other Senators have said, the peace process meant a great deal to all of us, but to Gordon Wilson it meant much more. He really understood the great benefits of peace.
Gordon Wilson has become part of every family in this country and because of that all families on this island mourned the death of Peter last Saturday. It is difficult for anything we say here today to mean anything, but I want Gordon and his wife, Ingrid and their daughter to know they are in our thoughts and prayers. I hope that will help them to bear this great loss.
On this exceptional occasion I will extend the invitation to speak beyond the party leaders.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak, a Chathaoirligh. Senator O'Toole, Senator Lee and Senator Norris asked me to say they regretted they could not be here this evening.
The service in the church in Enniskillen last week for Peter Wilson was a thanksgiving service. That they were able to have a thanksgiving service for the 38 years of Peter Wilson's life showed us the strength of Gordon Wilson and his family. It is a reminder to us of that faith that was referred to earlier by the Leader of the House. When Gordon Wilson lost his daughter Marie he talked about forgiveness in the very first week. The words "forgive them, for they know not what they do" are clearly the words of a true Christian. The lorry driver who was involved in the accident with Peter Wilson visited their home. They joined with him, hugged him and talked about the happy life Peter had; they looked back on the good things rather than on their own sorrow.
I am reminded as well of their thoughts for Ingrid, for Eloise and for Judith, the family who are left behind. We all express our sympathy to Gordon and to Joan and, through them, to the remainder of that family who so miss Peter.
I wish to be associated with the expression of sympathy to Gordon Wilson and his family. I was at his daughter Marie's funeral and it was a sad occasion. No one thinks that lightning will strike twice but it has struck very hard in the Wilson household.
The late Peter Wilson was very much involved in the commercial life of Enniskillen. He was an active member of the Methodist Church and will be very much missed. It was very sad for him and for his great friend. The two fathers and two sons played four ball golf, every Boxing Day. They played last Boxing Day. Little did they know it would be the last time. The two young men are buried today. Sadness is doubled in the area; two good friends have been taken from this life callously and cruelly, but such is the way of the world.
To Gordon, his wife and family my sincere sympathy. Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas dá n-anamacha.
I wish to be associated with the votes of sympathy to Gordon Wilson and his family. Those of us who were there in Enniskillen on Saturday felt the change in atmosphere that has taken place in Northern Ireland. It bears testimony to the tragedy which the Wilson family has had to endure and to the unifying force which Gordon Wilson has been to the South and Northern Ireland. The Taoiseach, Deputy Reynolds, made an inspired choice when he named Gordon Wilson as one of his nominees. He has been a unifying force since he came to the Seanad. We all sympathise with him and his family on this occasion.
I too would like to express my sympathy. I have been impressed by the faith and courage shown by Senator Wilson and his family. That faith and courage have been an inspiration to us all. I extend my sympathy to Gordon's family and to Peter's family. It was a second tragedy to befall this family. Again, I extend my sympathy.
Over the weekend two men very much associated with both Houses of the Oireachtas passed away. I speak of the late Paddy Cullagh who was a member of the staff for 52 years. He was one of the great characters of these Houses and was loved by all. I extend the deepest sympathy of the House to his daughter, Sandra.
The death of Jack O'Leary also occurred at the weekend. He was a former Captain of the Guard and Superintendent of the House and served from 1963 to 1981. On behalf of the House, I extend its sympathy to his daughter, Pauline.
Members rose in their places.