John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

On behalf of the Green Party, I join colleagues in paying tribute to our late colleague, Tony Gregory, who was first elected to the Dáil in 1982. We all knew Tony was very ill but we thought, perhaps unrealistically, that he would pull through and, therefore, the news of his death came as a shock. Tony dealt with his illness with characteristic fortitude and dignity and it is a tribute to the man that, even at his weakest point, he came into the Dáil every day to serve his people. I also pay tribute to his secretary, Valerie Smith, who during this illness kept the show on the road. We often forget the importance of our secretaries in these moments and Valerie played a huge role.

The Green Party Members got to know Tony very well because we shared a corridor. His office was next to that of our former party leader, Deputy Sargent, and we engaged with him every Dáil sitting day on the issue of the day. My own memories go back further to when I served with him on Dublin City Council and to the 1980s when I worked with his colleague, Mick Rafferty, in the inner city where Tony had acquired legendary status because of the Gregory deal.

However, one only gets to know somebody when one is removed from the hurly burly of the Dáil and takes a trip. Many colleagues went on trips with Tony, who liked travel, and I often feel it is a pity he did not get the opportunity to write a travel book because it would have been interesting. I recall him telling me on one occasion about walking the beach in Rio de Janeiro, which was a highlight for him. It was a memory he cherished very much. Two trips stand out for me. I accompanied Tony to NATO headquarters. We were invited and I will never know why because we spent the entire time criticising the actions of the organisation and the bombing of Belgrade. At the end of it, they were sick of us and they wanted to get rid of us.

The second trip was to Palestine and we were also accompanied by Deputies Ó Snodaigh and Gilmore. It was an eye-opener and it was entirely appropriate that his brother, Noel, spoke so passionately about the plight of the Palestinian people at his funeral. None of us will ever forget what we witnessed in Hebron during that trip. I recall Tony being a genial companion and a great story teller. He told us the stories about the Gregory deal, his dealings with Charles Haughey, for whom he had respect, the electoral contests he had, his political opponents, the influence of Seamus Costello on him and the great shock his murder caused him and how it moved him in a certain direction in politics.

He loved politics and he loved the inner city. He got a thrill from the film made about Veronica Guerin because it rightly gave him credit for the introduction of the Criminal Assets Bureau, which should be highlighted in his career. Tony was a public figure but, essentially, he was a shy man. My experience was that he did not enjoy public speaking and he only did it if he had to and if he believed in the subject. I also recall him as someone with a wicked sense of humour and someone who would tell a person where to go if he or she annoyed him, which I did on occasion.

However, I regret very much that he never became Lord Mayor of Dublin. He was the quintessential Dub and he would have been a fantastic Lord Mayor. Deputy Kenny stated he could have occupied other positions in the House. It would have been tremendous for politics if he had made it as a Minister or as Ceann Comhairle because, at the end of the day, he believed passionately in public service.

He was a man of principle who was brave and spoke out against the drug barons when it could have cost him his life. He was a politician dedicated to social justice, equality and fairness. That sense of fairness extended not just to human beings but also to animals. I hope our animal welfare Bill, which is part of the programme for Government, will be a reminder of his commitment to the cause of animal welfare.

Tony will be sadly missed, not only in this Chamber, but by his constituents. On behalf of the Green Party, I would like to convey my sincere sympathies to his brother, Noel, his partner, Annette, and his wider family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

See this speech in context