Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Ruairí Brugha on the sad occasion of his death in January. His life, which extended almost 90 years from his birth in Dublin in October 1917, saw the unfolding of the history of the Republic. The only son of Cathal Brugha and the son-in-law of Terence MacSwiney, he was born amidst the turmoil of great events and lived his life with the hand of history on his shoulder. He was educated in Rockwell College in County Tipperary, Coláiste Mhuire in Dublin and University College Dublin. His father was Minister for Defence in the first Dáil and his father-in-law was the heroic Lord Mayor of Cork.

Ruairí's political career began when he stood unsuccessfully for Clann na Poblachta in 1948 in his parent's old constituency of Waterford. In the 1960's, he joined Fianna Fáil and stood for the party in the general election of 1969. He was unsuccessful but was elected to the Seanad in the same year. He was elected to the Dáil in 1973 for Dublin South County and was appointed Opposition Front Bench spokesman on posts and telegraphs until Jack Lynch appointed him as spokesman on Northern Ireland from 1975 to 1977. He lost his seat in the revised Dublin South constituency in the 1977 general election but was elected to the Seanad, where he served until 1981. He was appointed to the European Parliament in 1977 until the direct elections at the end of that decade.

Ruairí Brugha was dedicated to peace and reconciliation on this island. In 1966, the Irish community in London asked him and his wife, Máire MacSwiney Brugha, to attend a commemoration and to give an oration in Trafalgar Square. As Máire recalled in her memoir, Ruairí spoke of non-violent means as the way to solve the question of Irish unity. This policy of reconciliation was ahead of its time but it is an aim that he pursued throughout his life in and out of politics.

In a long life, Ruairí Brugha's career in Leinster House was a relatively short one. However, it would be a mistake to see him only in political terms because his range of interests was extraordinarily broad. His wife and family members would not like me to merely commemorate him in political terms. He was involved for many years with the Mater Hospital, in which I also had an interest after his time there and served on the RTE Authority. He was chairman for 13 years of Dublin Tourism and was before his time in seeing the potential for tourism here. He gave 50 years of service to Trees for Ireland, a forerunner of the Tree Council of Ireland. The Tóstal Festival, the Catholic Communications Institute of Ireland and the Economic and Social Research Institute all benefited from his committed involvement and interest.

Ruairí Brugha was especially fortunate in meeting and marrying Máire MacSwiney. Their shared sense of history was never backward looking. To the contrary, they have been patriotic and committed citizens who never failed to dedicate their talent to the service of their country and I am grateful to their efforts in that regard. It has been a great pleasure for me personally to have been able to enjoy the friendship and company of Ruairí and Máire in recent years. I met the Brughas on many occasions over the past quarter century in places Deputy Rabbitte and I know well, such as an Daingean, Ceann Sibéil and Trá an Fhíona and they were always kind to my daughters as they grew up. I enjoyed talking with Ruairí and Máire and receiving their advice on summer days.

I was delighted when Máire asked me to launch her excellent autobiography, History's Daughter, which is a vivid account of a shared life in which service to others always came first. That was the last occasion on which I met Ruairí and it was as good then as it always was to talk with him. Although this is a sad occasion, it can bring joy to remember his contributions to so many different interests, as well the political contributions for which he is remembered in this House. I extend my condolences to Máire, who is in the House today, his daughter Deirdre, his sons Cathal, Terry and Ruairí and his sister Neasa and thank them for their support to Ruairí throughout his long life. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

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