John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

Fear ciúin séimh ab ea Pádraig Ó hIrighile, but like many quiet people, he was not to be underestimated. Patrick Hillery's career had taken him into well deserved retirement by the time I was elected to Dáil Éireann, but memories of him and his colleagues remained here long after he had ceased to serve as a TD. Like many here today, my abiding boyhood memory of him dates from those television images of his party's conference in 1971 when he gave full public vent to the anger so rarely seen from this quiet Clare man. Candid television shots of turbulent political gatherings are not so rare nowadays but four decades ago they were novel indeed and the images of dramatic RTE footage of Patrick Hillery stays etched in the minds of many of us today.

In 1971 that turbulent Ard-Fheis television footage carried echoes of other disturbing television images from Burntollet, Shankill, the Bogside, Portadown and elsewhere. Those pictures augmented all our fears that matters in Ireland, North and South, might spiral out of control and that the men of violence might have their way over the people who cared about democracy. It was a dark time in Ireland, which threatened to get even darker, and it is for those turbulent times in the early 1970s, when Patrick Hillery stood rock solid beside Jack Lynch, that we owe him our primary debt of gratitude. The courage of people like Patrick Hillery saved many lives on this island. It is as stark and as simple as that.

There are also many other reasons we should celebrate the life and varied career of Patrick Hillery. He was a dedicated medical doctor who became a conscientious TD for his native Clare. He was a reforming Minister, especially in the then Department of Education. He was the Minister for external affairs who led us into the European Union. He was our first EEC Commissioner who, while in charge of social policy, piloted through many equality measures. He served two seven-year terms as Uachtarán na hÉireann with dignity and distinction.

In the exercise of politics he was always his own person. He shunned factions in favour of honesty, dignity and integrity. To my mind, he was a true statesman and he is a role model for all of us who work in public life.

His low-key approach masked a steely determination. As EEC Commissioner he faced down his own Government over the need to promptly implement equal pay for women. As President he brushed aside attempts at interference and upheld the Constitution.

In many ways he was the quintessential Clare person, modest and mild of manner but with intellect, knowledge, talents and skills, and all that accompanied with an abundance of courage. Like all good Clare people, he loved sport, music, culture and good company. For these and many other reasons, the Green Party Members would like to join all parties in this House in extending our sympathies to Patrick's wife, Maeve, his son, John, and the other members of the extended Hillery family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam cróga dhílis.

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