Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It always confused me when people in the media said Tony Gregory was a great man for getting good deals and good things for Dublin, as he was right to do, but when they were talking about Jackie Healy-Rae doing great and goods things for people in and bringing money to County Kerry, it was as if we were stealing the money and taking it to Japan or somewhere not on this island just because we were beyond the Red Cow. That is why I always refer to the Red Cow as something it is not impossible for people to get across. We are entitled to come here on behalf of the people of County Kerry. Danny and I, like the lads on Kerry County Council, make no apology to anybody for beating a path to the doors of Ministers, the Taoiseach and Opposition leaders to state our case for and on behalf of the people of County Kerry. That is our job and what we are here to do.

It is a very special honour.

Many have asked about the reason for the delay. I will explain it. In early 2015 I notified that we were going to do this but then something came up and there were delays. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and I said we would do it before the council elections and then that we would do after them. Lately we said that if we did not do it soon, we would hardly be here ourselves. We wanted to have it done to remember a person. I think it is nice, even this length of time afterwards. It is very special, something we will remember forever.

We will cherish the nice and genuine contributions made by people who stood with my father year in, year out; the people who visited him when he was ill; the neighbours who were always so kind and always there and true friends; and the nurses and doctors. I saw a message from a doctor in County Kerry, of whom we are very fond and who helped to mind our father when he was ill. He sent a message a minute ago that my father had been his favourite patient. Things like that mean an awful lot to us, as does the fact that everyone is here and has shown patience because I know that there is a lot of very important business to be done today. I appreciate the fact that they have given us this opportunity.

My father packed an awful lot into the years he had in this world. He lived every day as if it was his last. The one thing he always said to me was, "Keep going as hard as you can for as long as you can and never give up and never surrender." If there is ever a little row inside this House and any Member thinks we will back down, I can say we will not. We will tell Members now that we will not, but we will try to do it in the nicest possible way.

All I can say is there is the memory of Jackie Healy-Rae here today. You can see it and feel it. Again, we thank the people who are here from the bottom of our hearts. We thank them, their families and relatives at home and the people around County Kerry, the rest of Ireland and the world who will hear this. We thank them for being so respectful to the memory of Jackie Healy-Rae because he was loyal, as Deputy Lowry stated. It was all about loyalty. To this day, if someone meets me, Deputy Danny Healy-Rae or anyone in what I call the new generation of Healy-Raes, it is like paying a deposit. We need not sign anything. If we shake hands with a person and say, "That's it, you have my word;" that is it. The only thing we will ever have when we have nothing else, just like our father, is our word. If we give our word to somebody and shake hands on it, we will have to die before we break it and I mean that.

I thank everybody on behalf of all the Healy-Raes and the Healy-Rae organisation. People can do the sums. There is an awful lot of people at home. I thank Members for giving us this opportunity.

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