Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Leader for arranging for Senators to pay tribute to a late and much loved colleague, Mickey Doherty. This House has a good record in acknowledging and saluting former Members who have gone to their eternal rest. It is particularly important to do this, not only for us to pay tribute to them but also to indicate to their families and the wider community the respect we have for former Members.

Mickey Doherty was a warm-hearted individual who approached people with a smile and was always very positive. He made a famous comment which showed that he was also calculated in helping his own people. He would always say, "Sure look, I am only a small farmer from a very deprived area." For those who remember him, the late Monsignor Horan made a similar comment on "The Late, Late Show" when he stated he was only a humble parish priest trying to build an airport at Knock. In many ways, Mickey and Monsignor Horan fell into the same category.

It is worth examining Mickey's career. Like many of his countrymen, he went to England to work for a while. This suggests he was not the type of person who would lie down if things were not going well. When he returned, he showed great spirit by establishing a small agricultural subcontracting business. That led to a thriving auctioneering business with his colleague, Councillor Victor Kiernan. He was the parliamentary assistant to Albert Reynolds but he was much more than an ordinary assistant because he had his ear to the ground and he had his finger on the pulse of everything that moved in Longford. He was exceptionally compassionate. He had a particular affection for those less fortunate than himself. He wanted to help them and he looked after the sick. He was closely associated with St. Joseph's Hospital and he looked out for carers. He was the type of public representative we would all like to be if we could. He went into public life not just for what he might get himself out of it but with the intention of helping other people.

The abolition of the health boards was not a good idea. When people like Mickey Doherty was sitting on a health board and a health issue came up, he would not have been stonewalled by the HSE because he made sure those who did not have health insurance cover would be looked after. He would make a case urgently and he had a reputation for that. He was chairman of the health board for five years.

Many stories have been told about his time as parliamentary assistant but he had a great understanding of how the system worked. He was not a messenger boy, as he always looked out for opportunities and he tried to analyse the problems on the ground. That says a great deal about the man. He could have led an easy life as a parliamentary assistant but he decided not to do that. He wanted to help other people.

He was a very warm character and it is nice not only that he will be remembered by the House but also that he has gone into the folklore of the democratic system. Any time one hears debates or discussions or people trying to make a point, whether it is about currency fluctuation or whatever, Mickey Doherty's name tends to come up. That is not just because he was colourful but because he had a way of getting a message across. He certainly knew how to handle the media. I do not think there was never a bad story about Mickey Doherty in the media. When one considers that he spent several decades as a county councillor, as a member and chairman of the health board, as parliamentary assistant and as a Member of Seanad Éireann, that he did not fall foul of the media shows he was a great public relations man. However, he did not engage in public relations in an overbearing way. He did it in a way which generated increasing affection towards him. However, once he had the person listening to him, he was able to make a strong case.

When he ran in the Seanad elections, he contested on the administrative panel. Members will know what it is like having had to bite their nails during election counts, and he was in a famous count in an election which was one of those after which people still talk about the anomalies that exist in the system. He had been nominated by the parliamentary party and he was the clear winner on that occasion. While he was a Member of the Seanad, I understand from colleagues who knew him very well that he gave so much to the Seanad and he used every minute of the short time he had here not just to work the system but also trying to mould the system to the needs of the community.

He was a great friend of Albert Reynolds, as we all know, and Albert depended on him. There are two words that would describe him in that context. One is "trust": he was totally trustworthy. The other, which we would all like to have in a colleague or friend, is "loyalty". He was loyal to the very end and would always stand up for the people with whom he worked. At the same time, to the best of my knowledge from what I know of him, he was not the type of politician who was into point scoring, as stated earlier. He got on with the work, he respected everyone and the fact that he went into partnership with a Fine Gael county councillor in the auctioneering business in some way helps to underline that.

I extend my sympathy to his niece, Maura Gettings, who is in the House with Séamus. I thank them and all the family for sharing him with us both in public life and in many other activities. He will be remembered for a long time to come and he was the kind of person who would have justified the existence of Seanad Éireann. Tá súil agam go bhfuil sé ar thaobh Dé. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal. Ní bheith a leithéid arís ann.