Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

On behalf of my Fine Gael colleagues, I join the Leader in expressing our sincere sympathy to the family of the late Senator Michael Yeats. I did not know him personally but I read about him and was aware that he was the son of the great poet and patriot, William Butler Yeats. As the Leader rightly said, Michael Yeats had his own talents and skills. His commitment to public service over a period of approximately 35 years was immense. It is always more difficult to be the son of a famous man — someone who was indelibly marked by the foundation of the State and the literary revival. His father was at the heart of all that, yet in his own life Michael Yeats made a substantial contribution to the history of this country, including parliamentary life. As the Leader said, it is particularly poignant that we would remember a former Cathaoirleach of the House because that very distinguished office within our Constitution and the House is not given to everyone who goes through this House. That he served in such a way for such a period deserves to be mentioned and honoured today.

I was interested to learn when I was researching his life that he was one of the first vice presidents of the European Parliament. At that time, before direct elections were introduced in 1979, we appointed people to the European Parliament. It was a very distinguished role. He clearly had the support and the credibility within his political party because to be not only selected as an MEP in the period before direct elections but also appointed as a vice president of the Parliament shows the standing in which he was held within his own party.

I am aware of the great contribution Senator Yeats and his family made to ensuring that many of the Yeats papers — the memorabilia and the primary source material that was connected with the poet's life — remained in this country. I understand he and his family were offered a very significant sum of money as a means of ensuring those papers would go into a private collection, probably outside this country, but he chose in the most patriotic way to offer these great papers to the National Library to ensure that Irish people in centuries to come would be able to see the work of the great poet.

It is with great regret that we offer our sympathy to his wife Gráinne, his daughtersCaitríona, Siobhán and Síle and his son, Pádraig. We will always cherish his memory and his service in this House.