Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Like the Leader, I express sympathy on behalf of my party to the O'Higgins family on the death of Michael O'Higgins. He was an outstanding parliamentarian, a devoted member of Fine Gael for all of his life and someone who gave of his best to public service in this country.

There are two features that mark the great contribution of the O'Higgins family to public life, the first of which is public service. Members of the family were never involved in public life for the money or to gain anything for themselves. They were a comfortable family and could simply have followed their own career paths. Michael was a well respected solicitor. The O'Higgins family had a great sense of public service to the country, which dated from the foundation of the State in the early 1920s. They also had a great sense of the rule of law. They believed that majority rule should prevail and that the parliamentary democracy established in this country in the early 1920s had to be nurtured, monitored and protected by those with the mandate of the people. This applied to all of the many O'Higgins politicians in our party. These two seminal features were part and parcel of the parliamentary career of Michael O'Higgins.

I did not know Michael O'Higgins but I knew his children very well. Hilary, who lives in my area, has helped our party and is a committed Fine Gael supporter. I attended school with Michael's three sons — Brian, Cahir and Mark — and got to know them very well. Those great features of public service and support for Irish parliamentary democracy exists throughout his entire family. Both he and Brigid imbued these in their children, together with a love of country and our democracy — for which his uncle gave his life in 1927. He laid down his life for his country to ensure peace would come to Ireland and to bring about the end of the Civil War.

As the Leader said, Michael O'Higgins came from a prominent political dynasty. His uncle was the great Kevin O'Higgins and he was the son of Dr. T. F. O'Higgins and the brother of Tom O'Higgins. It was an amazing occasion in 1948 when three of them, two brothers and one father, were elected to the Lower House. Another amazing feat, which is rare in Irish politics, was that Michael and his wife — Brigid Hogan-O'Higgins, who also came from a strong political dynasty and whose father, Patrick Hogan, was the State's first Minister for Agriculture — both served as Members of the Oireachtas at the same time. It must have been extremely difficult for them to raise a family in such circumstances.

We salute Michael O'Higgins's memory and say to his family, and his wife in particular, that they lived with a great Irish politician and a man who served his country well. It is also important to note that he had a happy and long retirement. As the Leader said, Michael left this House in 1977, having served as Leader of the House from 1973 to 1977. It was a fulfilling retirement of over 28 years. He died at the tender age of 87. He was able to enjoy the land, his family and his grandchildren into a ripe old age. That does not always happen in Irish politics. When people from all parties give up their life in politics after so many years, they often cannot enjoy their retirement and pass away early. On behalf of my party, I salute his memory and say to the members of his family that they have everything to be proud of in someone who served his country and his party well.