John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

During the years I spent with him on Dublin City Council in the early 1990s, I got to know Tomás Mac Giolla, a man of deep principles and of great faith in people and republicanism. Whether one agreed with him, one always knew he was a man of strong political convictions. From the outset he worked in politics to defend the interests of working class people and did so for many years in this House, in Dublin City Council and in many other arenas around the country.

He will be remembered for his transformative role in the republican movement during the 1960s and 1970s. His contribution shifted the emphasis away from the armed struggle, encouraging those involved to partake in political action. In doing so, he helped to sow the seeds of inclusion in the republican movement within the political sphere, without which the peace we enjoy today on this island would have been hard to achieve. His commitment to people was undoubted and he is to be remembered for his dedication to civil rights and condemnation of injustice throughout Ireland and beyond. Bhí an-suim aige sa teanga freisin. Ba bheag nach raibh an tábhact céanna ag an Ghaeilge i bhforbairt a smaointe agus a bhí ag an bhfealsúnacht sóisialach.

He was greatly pleased and honoured to represent Dublin West as a Deputy. The year he was Lord Mayor was a special year for him and his wife May. While he was a renowned champion of the disadvantaged, that year his true republican ethos, which stretched back to Wolfe Tone, shone through as he represented all creeds and classes with equal diligence. I succeeded him as Lord Mayor and it was a great honour to receive the chain of office from someone of such political stature.

We have lost a passionate humanitarian and obviously a man of great conviction and vision. For May, it is a deep personal loss and I extend my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Green Party to her, his sister Evelyn, his nephews and nieces. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

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