Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

Patrick Hillery was a modern Irish patriot. He was a man of substance, character and values who helped build a new Ireland in the latter part of the 20th century. His patriotism was the principled patriotism of non-violence and loyalty to the Constitution, a stance taken not on easy words and rhetoric but tested in the fire of integrity under pressure.

His patriotism was also the practical patriotism of bringing Ireland into the European Economic Community as Minister for External Affairs and driving through real advances for social equity as Minister for Education and for women's equality as our first EU Commissioner.

His patriotism was also a personal patriotism. He applied his considerable personal talents in life to the betterment of his community, first as a caring and committed general practitioner in his beloved County Clare and then for the whole country. He gave a personal medical service to everyone, with no distinction between the wealthy or the poor, the powerful or the disadvantaged. He lived these values and instilled them in his family and those around him in public life. It was this combination of principle, practical skill and personal commitment, all underpinned by enduring values, that made our former President and colleague in this House a true leader.

Patrick Hillery was among a group of leaders born shortly after independence who, when it came to their time to lead and to be tested, stood rock solid for the peaceful resolution of constitutional and political issues. They rightly saw this as the only moral and practical way forward, with no backward glances at or tacit encouragement of violent alternatives. He shared a republicanism that was totally constitutional, robust, generous and peaceful in equal measure. It was that brand of republicanism, his loyalty to the constitutional imperative of collective Cabinet responsibility and his deep integrity that impelled him in the early 1970s to withstand raw political pressure to go down a different and dangerous path that would have been catastrophic. Speaking in a confidence debate in this House 38 years ago, in May 1970, he said:

If the solution in the North of Ireland means anything to me . . . it is a solution which will permit Irishmen of different traditions, different religions and different classes . . . to live together in peace and harmony.

. . . We will have to establish our right to find solutions in our own generation at our own time. We are all influenced by history and we cannot disregard it. At this time I would like to establish the right of every generation to start their own tradition if necessary, and their total freedom to seek a solution in honesty with themselves.

How good it was that he lived to see the full fruits of this ideal he espoused borne out in the Good Friday Agreement.

He was also one of a group of leaders who saw that it was time for Ireland to modernise economically and socially. He was a great, modernising Minister for Foreign Affairs and had the vision and determination to lift our conduct of foreign policy to a new level. Clearly, one of his greatest, lasting achievements was to shepherd Ireland into membership of the European Economic Community, a turning point in our economic and social history. He was clear that, by joining, Ireland would be participating in the political shaping of Europe in the long term, as he said, shaping "a unified Europe that would be a potent force for peace not only on our Continent but in the world".

It was not enough, in his eyes, merely to get in the door as a member on a political level. As our first European Commissioner, he showed how important it was to follow through and deliver the practical benefits of EEC membership to our people. His courageous insistence as EU Social Commissioner that the European equality directive had to apply in Ireland delivered one of the most practical equalities for women — equal pay. The women of Ireland can be truly grateful for his quiet determination.

His devotion to the country, to our people and to our Constitution led him to accept nomination and appointment as Uachtarán na hÉireann. He held faith with the Constitution and the people in every aspect of his discharge of that highest office over 14 years. In word and in deed, in both quiet times and testing times, he reinforced that office as being above politics, as intended and provided for in our Constitution. He demonstrated that constitutional principles are not sustained merely by words on a page, but need leaders of loyalty and integrity to give life and substance to them. For those 14 years, and throughout his entire career in public life, he remained grounded in the Constitution and rooted in the people, particularly in his native County Clare. He loved his country and did it proud; he was a true patriot and a quiet hero of modern Ireland.

I extend my sympathy to his wife, Maeve, his son, John, his daughter-in-law, Carolyn, and the Hillery family.

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