Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to offer my tribute to the life, work, bravery and success of Nelson Mandela and to say that people like him rarely present themselves to the world. One can think of Gandhi and possibly John F. Kennedy and Pope John XXIII who made a mark that will be there as long as humanity is existence on this planet. Nelson Mandela is one of those people. I have been to South Africa on several occasions and have also carried out voluntary work in Namibia and Zambia so I have seen at first hand the influence he had. The tributes being paid to him by the international community reflect his standing and presence in the world. South Africa was extremely lucky that somebody like Mandela came along when he did. Patriotism is often bandied about very easily. We talk about patriots but if we want to quote a real patriot to his country, Nelson Mandela surely fits that bill more than anyone else.

We saw the cruelty and injustice of apartheid in South Africa but we see it to some extent in many countries. It comes at different levels but one of the most extreme levels in my lifetime was surely that found in South Africa. We will not forget those who worked with Nelson Mandela. While he was the main contributor because he was the leader and chief who delivered justice where there was an unjust society, we should also remember those who were with him, supported him and died for what he believed in. I join my colleagues in remembering the Dunnes Stores strike because I was around when all that happened. Perhaps we would recognise as well what the Mandate union did at the time in deciding that a stand should be taken on apartheid in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela achieved freedom for his people at extreme cost to his own life. Few people I know have taken such a stand and devoted their lives. Perhaps it was sometimes easier to be executed for an issue than to spend 27 years in prison to ensure a positive outcome for his people. I join others in Fine Gael in paying tribute, as did the Taoiseach yesterday, to the life, work, presence and success of Nelson Mandela.