I first call on the Leader to pay tribute to the late Deputy Pat Upton.
Death of Former Members: Expressions of Sympathy.
As Leader of the House and of the Fianna Fáil Members, I wish to offer my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Deputy Pat Upton. It is difficult to understate the sense of shock that Members felt on Monday last when they heard the news that Pat had died suddenly. It is always a sad occasion when one of our parliamentary colleagues passes away so suddenly. It is truly tragic when someone like Pat, in the prime of his life, is snatched from our midst. He brought many gifts to the principal tasks to which he devoted his life. This pleasant and mild-mannered Clare man represented the people of Dublin South Central with pride and passion and was truly a person of tremendous ability, energy and commitment.
He was a frequent visitor to Croke Park to watch his native county and he was also a frequent visitor to Richmond Park to watch his favourite soccer team, St. Pat's. His love of learning, in particular his great love of our native language and culture, marked him out as a very special man. He had the respect of his parliamentary colleagues on all sides of both Houses who admired his straight speaking and strong sense of commitment. I believe that there was no limit to what Pat Upton could have achieved. It is a great tragedy that his life has been cut short. His loss will be most keenly felt by his wife, Ann, and his children, Henry, Paddy, Lizzie and Robert. On behalf of the House and the Fianna Fáil Party, I wish to express my deepest condolence to them on this sad occasion.
To all the members of the Labour Party, his colleagues and his constituents, we extend our regrets and sympathies. They have lost a fine, sincere and active colleague.
Ar mo shon féin agus ar son Pairtí an Lucht Oibre sa Seanad, ba mhaith liom mo thrua agus mo chomhbhrón a dhéanamh lena bhaintreach, Ann, agus le clann Dr. Pat Upton, a fuair bás chomh tobann an Luain seo caite. Fear fíor macánta agus cara dílis atá caillte againn.
The sudden death of Pat Upton has shocked us all. It is a crushing blow to his wife, Ann, and children, Henry, Paddy, Lizzie and Robert. On my own behalf and on behalf of my colleagues in the Seanad, I offer our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt condolences to Pat's family on these saddest few days of their lives.
How could this happen to Pat Upton? He was a colleague in the prime of life, a man of energy, humour, repartee, straight talk and old fashioned decency. His death leaves a vacuum in all our lives.
Pat and I entered the Seanad together in the autumn of 1989, almost ten years ago. He was elected Leader of the Labour Group on his first day in national politics and performed admirably during his three and a half years in the Seanad. I will always remember meeting him during that glorious summer of 1989 as we criss-crossed the country and traversed the highways and byways of Ireland in pursuit of councillors and their votes.
I will always remember, during a Seanad debate on the banking system, his hilarious description of the subliminal message of boundless altruism given by a certain bank's advertising campaign. He compared it to the crafty invitation of the spider to the fly to come into his parlour. I will always remember the morning he led the Labour Group out of the Seanad in protest against a Bill which threatened the operational independence and financial stability of RTÉ.
Pat Upton was a consummate parliamentarian and he progressed from the Seanad to the Dáil in 1992 where he contributed knowledgeably in his inimitable and highly individual style on a wide variety of issues. He became an innovative and incisive front bench spokesperson for the Labour Party on Justice, Equality and Law Reform after the 1997 general election.
He had a great love for Gaelic games and for the Irish language and he served on Coiste na Gaeilge from 1992. Pat was the "Man from Clare" all his life. He never forgot his roots and he relished the trips back to his native Kilrush to renew old friendships. But his life's work was committed to Dublin which he made his home over 30 years ago and where he pursued his studies and his career as a lecturer in veterinary medicine in UCD. There too he became a member of the Labour Party and worked in the constituency of Dublin South Central under the tutelage of the former Leader of the Labour Party, Frank Cluskey, who also died so tragically. Pat stepped into Frank Cluskey's shoes as heir apparent and was quickly elected as local councillor and national politician.
His political life was always characterised by passionate enthusiasm. This passion for politics was shared by his wife, Anne, and his young family. They worked together as a team. Pat's analysis of the state of the nation, his interpretation of the entrails of the polls, his campaigning techniques and his organisation of tallying were second to none. He served the people of Dublin South Central assiduously and well, seven days of the week. Perhaps, as most politicians do, he worked too hard. He was equally at home when dealing with the individual needs of his constituents as a local public representative as when addressing broader collective needs as a front bench spokesperson for the Labour Party on national issues. Uniquely, he combined the discipline and learning of the academic with the practical and down to earth personal interaction which is the stuff of politics. Few others have taken the step from the academic world to the political stage so successfully.
Pat was liked and loved by people on all sides of the political divide irrespective of political differences. The tributes that have been paid to him by the President, the Taoiseach and the other party leaders and which are now being paid to him in this House are genuine expressions of grief for a lost friend and colleague. I know they are a source of comfort to Anne and her children at this most sad and difficult time for them. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
As Senator Costello has so eloquently said, the sudden death of Pat Upton has shocked and saddened all of us, especially those of us who were lucky to be not just colleagues but friends of his as well. I have known Pat Upton for many years. We were colleagues at UCD, rivals for election to the governing body and later friends on that body, both of us sitting well down from the establishment table. Pat Upton was, quite simply, a lovely person. It was always a pleasure to be in his company. He was direct, straight, honest and humorous. His sense of humour was distinctive, disarming and was never to be underestimated. He could cut through waffle or pomposity, getting to the point and was dismissive, indeed contemptuous, of pretence or dishonesty. Pat told it as it was and he did not care if he was not politically correct or if he offended someone who, in his view, deserved to be offended. Looking back on it, when Pat felt strongly on an issue he was usually right.
As I said, he was never an establishment man. He learned well from his old friend and mentor, the late Frank Cluskey. There was never any side to Pat and if one wanted good advice one always listened to him. He combined all that was best in Clare and Dublin, a rare and rich combination.
He was, as was pointed out by everyone who spoke over the past few days, one of the best liked and most respected Members of these Houses. During his time as Leader of the Labour Group in this House, it was always a pleasure to do business with him. His word was always his bond on any agreement. That, in essence, was Pat Upton.
He was a good and decent man. We were all the better for having had the privilege of knowing him. His loss to us in Leinster House is huge. His loss to the Labour Party is greater still. I extend my sincere sympathy and that of my party to his colleagues in the Labour Party. Most of all, the loss to Anne and his lovely family is indescribable. Our hearts go out to them at this time of sadness and loss. May he rest in peace.
Ba mhaith liom a chur leis na focail atá ráite ag na daoine roimhe seo, go mórmór ag an tSeanadóir Costello. We have lost a good friend. We on the Independent benches wish to extend our condolences to Pat's wife, Anne, and their children.
He made a big impression in the time he was a Member of this House. I found in my dealings with him when he was the leader of a group that he could always be relied on to do everything that had been agreed.
He had a certain level of humility. I knew him for many years, from the time he stood for election to the governing body of UCD, for which he canvassed with the same enthusiasm as he did in later years in national politics. Politics was in his blood.
He brought an academic knowledge to this House which proved quite useful. I recall his contributions in this House to the very early debates on issues which became commonplace in later years. He discussed at length the question of CFCs when very few people were talking about them. They became common some years later and legislation was enacted to deal with them. He was the first person to explain to this House what the letters BSE stood for and what mad cow disease was all about. We listened to him and we learned from him.
Last week, when I was rushing through the Library, he wanted to discuss genetically modified foods with me, which he was looking at from the point of view of both the academic and the politician. I regret I did not have a longer conversation with him. He always had a passionate commitment to the issue of the day, always extending his knowledge and putting forward and sharing a viewpoint.
He was comfortable with and confident of his views which were thrown out to be listened to. He was sceptical of convention and intolerant of cant, from wherever it might come. He was very articulate in putting forward his point of view. He was forever enthusiastic and energetic about the project in hand.
He was, as Senator Costello and others have said, a selfless parliamentarian. He was as comfortable dealing with complicated legislation and policy issues as he was dealing with the difficult cases of individual constituents. He was a well measured and balanced parliamentarian.
He was a witty, humorous and good companion. He was enthusiastic for the fresh and novel. He always had a story to tell about a trip or a function. He was the essence of a west of Ireland man, in that he could get a year's conversation out of a night out. We will miss him. He made a big contribution. We offer our condolences to his family, his friends and his party. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé.
I wish to echo the words of the Leader and other speakers in stating that we were all greatly shocked when we heard the news of Deputy Upton's untimely death on Tuesday. The Oireachtas has lost a very able and dedicated public representative. More than that, we have lost someone who was a decent and honourable human being in all his dealings with people.
Pat Upton was the epitome of what a good public representative should be. He was the type of person of which our democracy is greatly in need. He made an absolute lie of suggestions that all politicians are rogues and liars. Pat Upton spoke the truth, straight and unvarnished; although somewhat idiosyncratic at times, he was always truthful in everything he did.
Pat Upton and I were in the same class at University College Dublin and graduated at the same time. I knew him for a very long time and was fortunate to enter the Seanad with him and Senator Costello in 1989. Pat was much the same in UCD as he was in Leinster House; he was committed to his work and politics. He was also a first class debater and debated quite a lot in college. He was certainly a knocker of stuffy establishment thinking and orthodoxies, a characteristic which has been alluded to by almost everyone who has spoken about him here today.
Pat was a man of great humour and never lost an impish sense of delight in exposing cant and hypocrisy no matter where he found it, even if it was within his own party or within the Oireachtas. That resulted from his very deep commitment to social issues and to the vindication of the rights of less well off and powerless people in our society. He pursued a very distinguished academic career and frequently brought his intellect and expertise to bear on debates in this House and in the Dáil.
I am sure that had Pat Upton survived, he would have been called to high political office. I know he would have borne such an office lightly and humbly and would not have been overwhelmed by it. I am proud to have known Pat Upton over a very long number of years and, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Progressive Democrats, I extend sympathy to his wife, Anne, his four children, his colleagues in the Labour Party and his wider family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
I would like to be associated with the tributes which have been paid to the late Pat Upton and I join in the expression of sympathy to his wife and family.
The death has also occurred recently of Mr. Pierce Butler, another former Member of this House. I call on the Leader to pay tribute to him.
I wish to express my sympathy to the wife and family of the late Pierce Butler who was a Member of this House for 13 years, from 1969 to 1982. He followed in the footsteps of his father who was a TD from 1922 to 1927 and a Senator from 1939 to 1957 and 1961 until 1965.
Pierce made his mark on public life, not least through his contributions in this House. He was a member of the Irish Creamery Managers Association and served as chairman of the Mitchelstown branch from 1966 to 1974. He was a member of Macra na Feirme from 1952 to 1965 and served as chairman, dairy organiser and council member in 1973. He was a member of Cahir Credit Union and served on its executive in 1969 and was also a member of the Irish League of Credit Unions.
He was married to Eileen Samson whose brother is a distinguished member of Tipperary County Council. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party and as Leader of the House, I wish to extend sympathy to his wife and family, members of the Fine Gael Party throughout the country and Fine Gael Oireachtas Members.
I join with the Leader in expressing sympathy on the death of Pierce Butler who served in this House for 13 years. I had the honour of serving with him in his last period in the House, which was my first. During that time, he showed me great patience and understanding in my role as a raw, overly-enthusiastic and overly-diligent Government Chief Whip. I came to know him very well during that time. To know him was to like and respect him.
He came from a family steeped in politics, his father having served before him in this House and in the Dáil. Pierce was always very proud of this and always sought to uphold the highest political standards with which his family was associated and which he very successfully embodied. He was a quiet man who never sought to push himself forward. Yet he had a profound grasp of agriculture, was an expert on the dairy industry and had a very deep attachment to the values of rural Ireland. That is not to say he was not progressive. He was very progressive in his views on farming and developments in rural life and agriculture. He also had a great sense of what was worth preserving in the fabric of rural life. He had a good fund of stories and I learned a great amount in that short time, when I thought I knew it all, from listening to Pierce and his wisdom.
Our party leader, Deputy John Bruton, was a particularly good friend of Pierce, having worked with him in by-elections and having served with him on committees. It was entirely appropriate that there was a very significant turnout at his funeral last Monday in Cahir.
Pierce Butler was a gentleman to his fingertips. He had a strong sense of public service and a very deep involvement in his own community. He was courteous, thoughtful and ever decent. He showed great loyalty to his community and to Fine Gael which was proud to have him as a life long and honoured member. Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife, Eileen, and his family, some of whom are in the House today. May he rest in peace.
I wish to be associated with the words of sympathy to the widow and family of Pierce Butler. Like Senator Manning, I was very honoured and privileged to serve in the House with Pierce Butler during the short Government of 1981-2. When people have left the House for a very long time it is very easy to forget the impact they made. However, it is worth noting the great service which not just Pierce Butler but his father and his family have made to this State, to agriculture and to Fine Gael. I wish to be associated with the tributes to him and the words of sympathy to his wife and family.
I and the Labour Party wish to be associated with the tributes paid to the late Pierce Butler who served in the House for 13 years. He was part of a very honourable tradition, his father having served here before him. Unfortunately, I never knew Pierce Butler, but from what I have heard he was a very fine political and parliamentary representative. He served as a member of the Irish Creamery Managers Association and was chairman of the Mitchelstown branch. This, together with his role in the credit union, shows he was very active at local level in rural areas. It is clear that his contribution to Irish life was immense. I wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to his wife and family, some of whom are in the House today, and to offer our condolences to them and to Fine Gael which has lost a very valuable member.
On behalf of the Progressive Democrats, I wish to join in the vote of sympathy. It is apparent from what has been said that Pierce Butler and his family have a very long and honourable tradition of public service to the State, something of which they can be very proud. I am sure it was a measure of his qualities that he could serve for such a period of time.
I knew him more through his agricultural connections, an area in which he was also distinguished, rather than his political connections. I wish to extend to his wife, Eileen, his family and his Fine Gael colleagues our sympathy.
I wish to be associated with the words of sympathy to the Butler family on the death of Pierce. Pierce Butler made a major contribution to south Tipperary. He was born in Waterford in 1922, the son of a Labour Party Deputy and Senator. Pierce came to Tipperary when he took up employment as an assistant manager of Mitchelstown Creamery. He lived in Cahir and immediately became involved with the local community. He made a very significant mark in his adopted town as evidenced by the list of organisations for which he worked.
He got considerable enjoyment from his work with the political parties, particularly the Fine Gael Party. At a time when finance was, as it is today, an issue, the Fine Gael Party in south Tipperary was in considerable financial difficulties. Because of his knowledge in the creamery, Pierce was called upon to help solve the financial difficulties which the party was in at the time. Bank managers would not allow cheques to be written and the party had fought several elections. Pierce came on board with other constituency people to clear that debt. The sum of the debt at the time was £180 and he made a considerable effort to clear the debt and to help the party.
When he stood for the Seanad and was successfully elected, he made a major contribution and on checking some of the records, Pierce Butler was, without doubt, a man before his time. He spoke about Europe and all aspects of agriculture with a depth of knowledge I have rarely witnessed. To his wife Eileen, his family and his son, John, who is here with Deputy Theresa Ahearn today, I extend my sympathy.
I join with the expressions of sympathy being extended to the Butler family on the death of Pierce Butler. I am keenly aware, perhaps as a member of a younger generation, of the great contribution of the Butler family to the development of the State, the economy and many other aspects of social life. In Tipperary, there are many illustrious families who would fall into that category but even without knowing Pierce Butler very well, I was always keenly aware of his existence. I was also very much aware of the innovative spirit which motivated him and anybody who ever heard of him would be well aware that this was at a time when there was a pioneering element to, or atmosphere in, public life. I join in the expressions of sympathy to the Butler family and assure them that the work which the late Pierce Butler did is very much appreciated by all in public life and by the community at large.
In my first term as a Member of this House, I had the privilege of serving with the late Pierce Butler and would like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to his wife and family. I ask Members to rise in their places as a mark of respect to those two former Members.
Members rose.