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

Táimid bailithe anseo inniu chun ár n-ómós do, agus ár meas ar, Noel Treacy a chur in iúl. Cuirim fáilte faoi leith roimh Mary, Joan, Emer, Lisa, Rory agus a chlann go léir atá anseo. Níl aon amhras ach gur pholaiteoir den scoth a bhí ann. B'Aire Stáit agus tírghráthóir é. Bhí sé fréamhaithe i measc a phobail féin agus ina dhúiche féin. D'oibrigh sé go dian dícheallach, Domhnach is Dálach. Beidh cuimhní geala maithe againn go léir ar a chairdeas agus ar a gháire croíúil fáilteach. Thar aon rud, is cuimhin liom fear den chéad scoth le fuinneamh agus le díograis ach go háirithe. Bhí grá ag Noel dá chontae, dá thír agus dá pháirtí. D'fhág sé a rian orainn go léir, cinnte dearfach.

In our daily work as Members of Dáil Éireann, it is an unfortunate reality that the most attention is paid to the most intense exchanges about the issues which are dominating the day's headlines. We should do more to value those occasions when we take time to step back and reflect on how much has been achieved in this democratic republican Chamber and the many diverse personalities who have served here to build a country which faces many challenges but has achieved great things during its history.

It is in this spirit that I am very honoured today, on behalf of myself and of the Fianna Fáil Party, to pay tribute to the life and achievements of our late friend and colleague, Noel Treacy. I welcome his wife, Mary, who for so long was his partner in community and in political life, as well as Noel's children and other members of the family.

Noel was a Member of this House for 29 years and served as Minister of State for 17 of those years. In that time, he served his community and his country with dedication and left behind him a record of real substance. He did not seek headlines or self-promotion, but the record shows that Noel Treacy made a serious and sustained contribution to the development of Galway and Ireland. Everyone who knew Noel understood that the wonderful values of Galway and the west defined him; values of community, of shared progress, and of a deep and inclusive patriotism. It is in the sporting, educational, cultural, agricultural and religious life of Gurteen, as well as Ballymacward, that we find the essence of Noel Treacy. This is a part of our country which had often struggled, but it has a tremendous sense of community, as we all experienced on the day of the funeral.

From his earliest days, Noel was active in everything, especially rural development. He was a leader in the local branches of Muintir na Tíre, and what is now Foróige. He joined Macra na Feirme at 16 and went on to be county chairman. As anyone who knows the work of those great organisations can tell you, they promote a broad idea of rural development and community life, something which Noel always talked about.

The GAA was his great passion and he was to the fore at a moment of reform and development for Galway. The 1970s saw Galway hurling knocking on the door of the traditional powers of the game. The reorganisation of clubs and an incredibly competitive club championship provided the foundations. Noel played his part as an organiser and leader in his own club, Pádraig Pearses, and at county and national levels. All who love hurling remember Galway's breakthrough and the rousing rendition by Joe McDonagh and thousands of Galwegians of "The West's Awake". Noel absolutely adored talking about that team and the one which followed.

When Noel secured the nomination to stand in the 1982 by-election to fill Johnny Callanan's seat, without any background as a councillor or as a prominent face in Fianna Fáil, many people were surprised, yet he quickly showed why he was so highly rated, winning the by-election and every subsequent general election which he contested through nearly three decades. Within a year of election as a Deputy, he was appointed as a party spokesperson and he was given a range of organisational tasks within the party. This was a speed of promotion almost unknown at the time. The key to his service was that he believed not just in representing the people of Galway. He believed that each of us had a duty to make a serious contribution to the work of this Parliament and, if possible, to our Government.

Noel had a deep respect for our State and for its senior officeholders, irrespective of what party they came from. He believed in their good faith, even when he disagreed with them. He was a diligent and effective constituency representative, always promoting projects to improve the schools, clubs, community facilities and economic development of his county. I was always struck by how he even supported developments in parts of the country which were not in his constituency. For example, he was an active proponent of developing research facilities in the National University of Ireland, Galway. This was because he believed that the county, the region and the country as a whole would benefit and that rural communities would see many people given an opportunity to combine rural living with working in urban facilities.

Noel Treacy also took his roles as a parliamentarian and then as a Minister deeply seriously. He wanted to serve the interests of the country as a whole. Across 17 years he held ministerial roles in nine Departments. It is a mark of the man that he remains well regarded in every one of those Departments. Officials remember a Minister who was always on top of his responsibilities, who treated everyone with respect no matter what their position, and who was interested in substance.

If one looks back at the record of his speeches here and elsewhere, one can see that he had an enduring habit of always giving the credit to others. This is not a way to win headlines but it was central to his ability to have a sustained and positive impact. I will reference two of his roles in particular because they show how a man who was, at one level, very traditional in where he came from and in his values, and at making a serious contribution to building our modern society and economy. These were his roles as Minister of State with responsibility for science and technology and as the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs.

For five years, Noel was the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, three of which were during my time as Minister there. Unusually for the time, this appointment was both departmental and across government. It put him at the centre of policies that created whole new industries that employ tens of thousands of people today. During this time, Ireland became the first country in the world to connect every school to the Internet. Noel promoted this scheme throughout the country, visiting schools and encouraging teachers to engage with the new technology as a support for their work. He was also a voice for investing in our colleges and universities. Now, 20 years later, we often take this for granted. Many of the great research centres of technology-based employers found throughout the country today are traced to the decisions taken then.

Noel was a wonderful person to share a Department with. Noel's love for the Irish language showed itself at every stage as well. He enjoyed every opportunity to hold meetings or speak with people in Irish, seeing it as a living language and not just one for public display. Noel was always available to make sure that parliamentary business was handled professionally. No matter how complex the legislation, he was guaranteed to handle it well and to create a constructive atmosphere for the debate. If he had to decline a request or a proposal from the Opposition or a delegation, he did not hide from the fact that the Government cannot say yes to everyone.

Noel's final ministerial appointment was as the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs. Noel was a passionate European, believing that Europe was the essential context for our country to thrive. At Council meetings in Brussels, in discussions with ambassadors and Ministers, in Dublin and throughout Europe, he represented our country incredibly effectively, always on top of this brief and always constructive, a believer in Europe and Ireland's role in Europe.

When he again became a backbencher Noel asked to become chairperson of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Under his leadership, the committee was a place that brought together people of different viewpoints and that reached out across traditional divides. It was a place where new agendas were being looked for to replace arguments that offered no positive future. I appeared many times before the committee during those periods when Noel was chairperson. It was a constructive, non-partisan and effective model for how parliamentary committees can have an impact.

After Noel retired from the House, he faced many health challenges but he never let up with his pace of work. He had held important public offices but was willing and eager to continue his life of service in more modest but equally important ways. He was a tireless chairman of the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was always convinced that Galway would again reassert itself as a power. He continued to support local projects and he continued to offer me personally, and the Fianna Fáil party, advice and assistance. He was always positive, always constructive, and always thinking of others.

Noel Treacy's years in the Dáil and as a Minister of State saw great progress in our country, and he played a proud and significant role in this. As we remember him, we thank Mary and his entire family, who are with us today for their role in helping Noel. We say to you that we deeply appreciate his service and his friendship. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

See this speech in context