Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ar mo shon féin agus ar son pháirtí Fhianna Fáil, ba mhaith liom comhbhrón a dhéanamh le clann de Barra ar bhás Peter agus le páirtí Fhine Gael. Polaiteoir agus fear ghnó den scoth a bhí ann. Duine cneasta, lách agus éirimiúil ab ea é. D'oibrigh sé go dian dícheallach Domhnach is dálach ar son a mhuintire. Bhí sé dílis dá chathair agus do mhuintir na tíre seo. Is léir go raibh agus go bhfuil fós tionchar faoi leith aige ar chúrsaí na tíre seo agus ar dul chun cinn na tíre seo maidir le cúrsaí eacnamaíochta agus go háirithe ó thaobh chúrsaí síochána de.

On my own behalf and on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, we wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the Barry family again on the loss of Peter and also to the Fine Gael Party because, as the Taoiseach said, he was one of their best since the formation of the party. In many ways, it could be argued that he inherited what would have been termed at the time the Irish Ireland wing of the Cumann na nGaedheal party of the late 1920s - the Michael Collins inheritance of the movement. That stood him in good stead in later life particularly in his stewardship as Minister for Foreign Affairs and in being so effective in negotiating a breakthrough and watershed in Anglo-Irish relations and in the context of relations on these islands, namely, the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

He was a dedicated, committed public servant, but he was a man of stature and a man who achieved much outside of politics. In particular, he grew a small business on Princes Street where he tasted the tea assiduously. I read a very good article on this. Indeed, I am pleased to refer people to a great programme by John Bowman at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday morning for those who get up early. There were two wonderful programmes in the series that I listened to recently on the way to a particular commemoration. I got a great insight into the nature of the man and his approach to life as well as his humility, sense of perspective and a very well-grounded philosophy of life. When it came to tea tasting, it was a particular achievement to get the most hardened Fianna Fáiler to accept that Barry's Tea was the best tea to drink, even in Cork city. That is no mean achievement in itself.

I was struck by the Taoiseach's articulation of the virtues of tea. Given the minority Government situation we are in and the rather fragile existence that we live, maybe the leaders of all the parties should drink tea together on a more regular basis to give greater stability and esprit de corpsto this particular arrangement.

The people had great respect for Peter Barry. He commanded respect - he did not seek it - because he respected others and their opinions. I was struck by a comment of his daughter, Deirdre, at the time of the funeral. She remarked on how he was treated a little differently in the constituency. John Dennehy, a former colleague of ours in Cork South Central, would often talk of particular local meetings. We were at such a meeting last night with the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney. The Deputies and councillors would turn up. The chairman of the local committee would make an apology for Mr. Barry who, of course, could not be there on the night because of other functions. The remark would never be critical or anything like that. He was always in early. There was such respect for what he had achieved in terms of the city, the employment he had created and the leadership he gave as a public representative. That was significant.

He was a great supporter of the arts in the city of Cork and nationally and a great supporter of sport as well. It is fair to say that he was Cork GAA's first official corporate sponsor in the 1990s. It is equally fair to say that Cork hurling and Gaelic football were far more successful in the 1990s than currently. It reflects the potential. He was generous in that regard. He was a lifelong member of the Blackrock GAA Club and a great supporter of St. Michael's GAA Club as well as many other sporting clubs that he quietly supported. Of course, he was a great advocate and supporter of rugby and the legendary Cork Constitution club as well.

He was an effective Minister. He served as Minister for Transport and Power under Liam Cosgrave's Government in the 1970s. He also served for a period as Minister for Education. Without doubt, his period as Minister for Foreign Affairs represented his greatest achievement in politics in the context of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the sets of relationships he built up with Unionist politicians, Nationalist politicians and people and personalities of the calibre of Fr. Denis Faul and others who held him in the highest of esteem. There is no doubt that this work sowed the seeds of later work that bore such fruit in the form of the Good Friday Agreement and the progress and the great leaps made in terms of bringing peace to the island of Ireland.

We salute his legacy. It is a rich legacy of which his family, including his sons, daughters, brother and grandchildren in particular - I understand there are 21 grandchildren whose company he enjoyed immensely - can be very proud. His was a life well lived and he made a significant contribution to the betterment of his fellow human beings on this island and internationally. No greater thing could a person wish in his life than to say truly that he did his work, he did his bit, and that it made a difference and improved the quality of life of others. That is, in essence, why people should be in politics. He achieved that and we salute him and his contribution. We mourn his passing.

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