Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ní raibh aithne agamsa ar P.J. Morley, ach ó bheith ag éisteacht le ceannaire Fhianna Fáil, an Taoiseach agus an Tánaiste táim fíor brónach faoi sin. Fear iontach a bhí ann de réir na scéalta. Ba mhaith liom, ar shon Shinn Féin, fáilte mór a chur roimh a bhean céile Mary agus a chlann. Táim brónach agus ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a dhéanam lena teaghlach ar fad.

I extend sympathy on behalf of Sinn Féin to P.J. Morley's family; his wife, Mary; his daughter, Cathy; and his sons Patrick, Enda and Brian, as well as his grandchildren and extended family circle. I did not know P. J. but listening to the tributes paid by the leader of Fianna Fáil, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, that was my loss. I also extend sympathy to the Fianna Fáil Party which has lost a diligent party activist who contributed much to it during his decades of public service. As we have heard, he was a member of Mayo County Council for more than 30 years, a Member of Seanad Éireann for five years and a Teachta Dála for 20 years. Although I never knew him, from all that I have read and been told about him, I know he was a committed public representative who worked diligently on behalf of the people of County Mayo and the Fianna Fáil Party. The big project with which he was associated was the airport at Knock. I do not know whether this is myth or fact, but I am advised that the airport project was cleared by the then Taoiseach, C. J. Haughey, on the understanding that it would have a grass runway. I do not know whether that is just one of the stories in County Mayo, but the fact that the airport is where it is says a lot for P.J.'s skills and Monsignor Horan.

Aside from the public service which we have noted and to which we have paid tribute, P. J. Morley was a husband, a father and a grandfather. We do not know about the private personal life of the man in the way that his wife does and the way his children and grandchildren do. However, his death will leave a huge gap in all of their lives. I am sure they take great comfort from knowing that throughout his long years of political activism he made a real difference to the lives of citizens and particularly the people of County Mayo. Go ndéanfaidh Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.

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