Dan Boyle (Green Party)

It has passed into legend that at the negotiations on the programme for Government last year, Séamus Brennan turned to those of us who were sitting on the other side of the table and said: "You are playing senior hurling now lads." It might seem like a very condescending comment in cold print, but it was meant as a statement of encouragement. The role he played in those negotiations was that of an enabler and facilitator. I presume he played a similar role in other negotiations for other Governments. He smoothed over any difficulties that arose. During the negotiations I had with him, he never played the part of the bad cop. I do not think it would have fitted his personality, in any sense, to raise hackles or cause dissension among those he was dealing with. It was in the nature of the man to bring about solutions, wherever possible.

That Séamus Brennan succeeded greatly in his career as a public representative and as a member of the Government is probably the best dedication we can give him. He was probably single-handedly responsible for the introduction of modern campaigning techniques to Irish politics. He represented the bridge between traditional Irish politics and modern politics, which is based on design ethics. He emphasised the look of leaflets and posters and the use of colour, for example. Campaign songs were introduced for the first time, in a real sense, when he was Fianna Fáil general secretary during the 1977 general election campaign.

Reference has been made to the difficulties people always had when debating with Séamus Brennan. As Senator Fitzgerald said, his personality as a winning person meant that the way he constructed an argument made it hard to argue against him. He was a more engaging Minister than most of his colleagues in any Government of which he was a member. He was willing to engage with both Houses of the Oireachtas. He took reasoned arguments on board. He accepted amendments to legislation more readily than other Ministers. That contributed to the warmth many Members of the Oireachtas felt for him and the reputation he subsequently gathered.

Séamus Brennan has many legacies. I have already mentioned his contribution to political campaigning. If he has a legacy that is even more long lasting, I think it will be the nature of his political personality. In a political culture in which there is far too much name-calling and cheap points scoring, he achieved without causing offence. We should remember him most for the manner in which he conducted his politics. On behalf of the Green Party, Comhaontas Glas, I offer my sympathies to his wife Ann, his family, his colleagues in Fianna Fáil and the people he served in such a dedicated manner over the course of his long and successful political career. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.