Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle agus leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle, agus leis an Teach, as an deis seo. Cuirim fáilte roimh mhuintir Uí Threasaigh, Cloonan agus Byrne agus cairde Noel. It is not normal to travel from Ballina to Tuam via Glenamaddy, but that is what we did on 11 July 1982 as a family. We were due to go to the Galway-Mayo match that day, but my father had to go to Glenamaddy to canvass for someone called Noel Treacy, who was our candidate in the by-election then. He knew Noel through school in Garbally and the GAA. That was the first time I met Noel Treacy, on a very sunny day in Glenamaddy. As others said, he went on to win the by-election on the first count as a Deputy representing the Government. It was unheard of then and for 30 years later for a candidate from a Government party to win a by-election. Equally, very few by-elections are won on the first count. This was a sign of respect for the integrity, energy and decency he brought to Dáil Éireann and to life for every day he was a Member of his House and a Minister of State in the subsequent nearly 30 years.

He brought these qualities to so many portfolios throughout 17 years as a Minister of State in nine Departments. He left an extensive legacy in this context. I will focus on some of his achievements. I have the opportunity now of continuing his work and I refer in particular to the reform of the motor insurance industry. Through his work, dedication and passion in setting up the personal injuries assessment board, PIAB, he reduced insurance premiums for so many people, and especially younger drivers. As the Minister of State with special responsibility for European affairs, he was very much involved in the accession of so many new countries to the EU.

As others have said as well, our digital economy and opportunities in this regard owe their foundations to the work of Noel Treacy and to his ambition and faith in a science that he possibly did not really know. Very few of us knew in the 1990s what the digital economy would be today, but Noel Treacy bought into it and through his energy and ambition he rolled out things such as Science Week and various innovations we take for granted today. He also travelled extensively to promote Ireland across the world. Last week, I had the privilege of standing in a factory just outside Warsaw that he had opened in 2004 for his great friend, John Concannon, of the JFC Group. This gives us a sense of Noel's internationalism and his ambition that Irish business could be so much a part of the Irish story. Noel Treacy did that.

He left here in 2011, but he never forgot us. He was so proud of this House, of what it stood for and of being a Member of it, but he never got carried away by this. He always respected others and other voices and the traditions of this House. He also, however, in a lesson to us all, never allowed a busy life to get in the way of friendship. He never allowed his responsibilities and their burden to get in the way of travelling to support friends in dark days. In the dark days of his own illness, he never allowed the challenges in that regard to stop him being an active citizen. I remember him coming to the funeral of my father. He left treatment to come to it and then went back to that treatment. This was his dedication to friends and to kin. That was Noel Treacy personified.

He would be so proud of his grandchildren in the way they performed and were able to say prayers at his funeral. They are here with us today and we had a chance to meet them earlier. He would also be so proud of Joan, Emer, Lisa and Rory. I know he was very proud too of his two sisters who are here with us, Marian and Nóirín, who kept him in check, and of his brother-in-law, John Byrne. Today is about the wider Treacy and Cloonan family. Today is the day they can see the pride we had in and respect we had for Noel. It will be a difficult day, but they should embrace it.

The sun is shining on us today. That is Noel Treacy smiling down here. The hand is coming out and we are all being told we are mighty. That is his pride for this House and this tribute. He never got carried away by it either. He will drive us on to continue the work. May this sun keep shining, and may it shine in particular on Mary. For Noel, she was the boss. She was the one person whom he absolutely adored and treasured. She was the person and the scaffolding who allowed him to achieve so much. To Mary, then, and to all the family, our thoughts and sympathies are with them, but we are also bursting with pride today for them all to have this legacy to mark.

See this speech in context