David Norris (Independent)

I would like to say a few words on behalf of the Independent Senators in memory of the late Senator Yeats. My colleague, Senator Ross, also has particular reason for wishing to say a few words and I hope he might be indulged, with the approval of the House.

Yeats is a name to conjure with. What a tribute it is to that family that the late Senator Michael Yeats emerged unscathed from the extraordinary celebrity of that family. We tend to forget that his grandfather was an internationally known painter, John B. Yeats. His father was one of the world's greatest poets, William Butler Yeats. His uncle was Jack B. Yeats. Many people have been damaged by the fact a parent achieved such a degree of international celebrity, but it is all through that family and continues. Anne Yeats is a remarkable painter, Gráinne Yeats is a musician of great talent and Síle Yeats, who we all know, works in our broadcasting service.

I have said it is a name to conjure with. Of course, that relates to the literary world. I did not know the late Senator Yeats very well but I did occasionally meet him, which is why I wanted to pay tribute to him today. I found him a man of remarkable breadth of intellect and generosity. I was asked by Professor Declan Kiberd to speak at the Yeats school in Sligo, which is a wonderful institution and long may it thrive. After many years of the school's operation, I was asked to give an iconoclastic view of Yeats from the Joyce point of view. I had great fun in doing it but I was vehemently attacked — almost physically — by an American professor who said, "Do you think it is honourable to receive an honorarium for spewing this filth out before students?" There was nothing filthy in what I had said, I was simply outlining what Joyce had to say. Michael Yeats enjoyed it all with a broad smile and indicated that he was very pleased that his father could still cause fireworks. That is the kind of spirit I really like.

I am glad Senator Brian Hayes and the Leader have both paid tribute to the generosity of the Yeats family because it is remarkable. Literary papers are a very marketable product. It is a signal of the generosity of the Yeats family that they made such munificent donations to the National Library.

I would like to tell a story on that subject. Ten or more years ago I was invited to speak at an international symposium on Joyce in Monte Carlo where one of the attendant events was an exhibition and talk on Jack B. Yeats, sponsored by the waste paper magnate Mr. Smurfit. As a result of this, Stephen Joyce, the grandson of James Joyce, made a most ill-natured and ill-judged attack on the Yeats family, chiding it for what he described as the way the family was milking the resources of the Yeats estate for financial advantage. The words "pot", "kettle" and "black" sprang into many minds in the audience. However, Michael Yeats' sister Ann was present and in a dignified way — without rebuking, attacking or mentioning Stephen, a wonderful humiliation — said that as the question had been raised, the gathering should know the arrangements made by the Yeats family were A, B, C, and D and they indicated the immense degree of the donation that had been made.

Michael Yeats was a very good Cathaoirleach of the House, but before my time. As father of the House, Senator Ross may be closer to that period although he is younger than me in years, but not in wisdom. Those of us aware of Michael Yeats's political career bear in mind that he was a strong, broad-minded, non-partisan European. Therefore, he is someone whose passing we can mourn.

The last time I saw Michael Yeats was around Christmas 2005. He floated up the street, a tall, elegant figure in a raincoat, carrying some Christmas parcels and took a rest in Leinster House. He had achieved a mature age, so his death is not a tragedy but the culmination of a life for which we should all be grateful.