Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I join other party leaders in expressing deep sympathy on the death of Seán Doherty to his wife, Maura, daughters, Rachel, Cara, Leah and Evelyn, and the Taoiseach and the Fianna Fáil Party. I always knew Seán Doherty as a real gentleman. I only came to know him after he had come through a number of political storms but, for all that, he was a man who took the lessons of life on the chin and moved on, learned from them and was a better man than many on account of that. He was always good humoured and generous with his time. While I speak from a different political point of view, that did not create a barrier for Seán. He was always courteous and one got the impression he definitely did not talk to somebody for any kind of political advantage, but because he respected the humanity of the other person.

This explains much of his popularity. He had an infectious, gregarious spirit that left an air of good humour wherever he went. I got a flavour of this in Carrick-on-Shannon when I was fortunate enough to be part of a cross-party delegation Seán led to speak with different community groups affected by flooding on the River Shannon. All along the Shannon, Seán held court with the rest of the delegation, meeting different angling, community and residents groups that had been affected by the flooding. However, when it came to Carrick-on-Shannon and his own area of the beautiful region of Roscommon and Leitrim, Seán came into his own. He made sure to impress on anybody visiting that if this visit was for work, they should make sure to come back for pleasure, because it was obviously a place they would enjoy on a holiday. I am glad to say I took him up on that advice; I visited the area last year and hope to do so again this year.

He was a great advocate for his area. That characteristic twinkle in the eye also made him a great advocate for his faith, as the Tánaiste noted. I encountered that passion he had, which he was never shy to discuss. I enjoyed many quite deep theological chats with him. It was something he really enjoyed, as did I. We used to pray together. With that in mind, he has been taken from us at too young an age. However, for some reason, I do not feel the sense that he is in a strange place. I think he is very much at home and embarking still on that path of fulfilment he embarked upon on this earth. I will always remember him as a great family man, a great man of faith and somebody whose company I will genuinely miss.

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