Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death last August of the former Senator and Deputy William Kenneally, better known as Billy. Billy had a long and eventful life, packed full of achievements and public service. He was one of Waterford's favourite sons and as a businessman and politician and in everyday community life he made an important and lasting contribution to the development of the south-east region.

Billy was a lifelong member of the Fianna Fáil Party. On behalf of the parliamentary party, we were grateful for his tremendous efforts in promoting and working for the party for many years. Through his dedication he played a massive part in its success. His father, William Kenneally Snr., was a prominent figure in the party in Waterford, serving the people of Waterford in Dáil Éireann from 1952 to 1961. This was the proud political legacy on which Billy built in the course of a remarkable career which brought further distinction to him and the Kenneally family.

Billy took his first steps as a public representative in the Lemass era. He was very much a politician of the time and, like Lemass, had a strong sense of patriotism and shared his impatience for progress. He had a deep-seated belief in business and enterprise, seeing it as the engine to drive national development.

Billy's background was in business. He was a partner in the very successful Kenneally City Bus Company which for many years was a great Waterford institution and provided an important transport service for the people of Waterford city and county.

Billy contested his first election in the general election of 1961 and was unlucky not to take a seat on that occasion. However, he persevered and was subsequently co-opted onto the council, of which he was a member for 15 years. He also served as mayor of the authority. He understood well Tipp O'Neill's famous saying that "all politics are local" because for him the whole purpose of politics was to serve his local community, take on board their concerns, make them his own and do everything in his power to improve the quality of life of his native community. The respect his neighbours, friends and fellow citizens of Waterford had for him is evident in the fact that he was given the great distinction of serving the community as mayor of Waterford. It is also obvious from the fact that on five consecutive occasions the people of Waterford elected him as their representative in Dáil Éireann. In the general election of 1965 he topped the poll and repeated that feat in the 1969 and 1977 general elections.

Billy was an immensely popular politician who was held in high esteem and with great affection by colleagues on all sides of the House. He did valuable work at the Council of Europe from 1971 to 1973, during a period in which Ireland's relationship with the European Union was a dominant theme in public debate. He served as Fianna Fáil Front Bench spokesperson on fisheries in opposition between 1973 and 1975 and had a close relationship with George Colley and Jack Lynch.

When Fianna Fáil returned to power in 1977, Jack Lynch asked Billy to perform the difficult role of chairman of the parliamentary party and his tenure coincided with one of the most volatile periods in Fianna Fáil's history. It is testament to his character and abilities that he is still remembered as an excellent chairman of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. When I first took my seat as a Senator in 1982, Billy was the chairman of the party and utterly fair at all times. His focus was always on the betterment of the party and his community, never on personalities or in-fighting. He lost his Dáil seat in 1982 but was elected to Seanad Éireann that year on the Administrative Panel.

Right to the end, Billy maintained a keen interest in politics and public life and was rightly proud of the political achievements of his son, Brendan, our friend and colleague in the Dáil and Seanad. I am sure Brendan will draw on his father's fine legacy and exemplary public service as he continues to serve the people of Waterford in the same dedicated and distinguished fashion as his father. Brendan was a distinguished Member of this House from 2002 to 2007.

I extend my sympathy and that of the Fianna Fáil Party to Billy's wife, Maureen; his sons, Brendan, Donal, Kevin, Patrick and Martin; brother, Jackie; sister, Kathleen; grandchildren, Cathy, Sarah, Liam, Fionn and Megan; daughters-in-law, Martina and Monica; brothers-in-law; sisters-in-law; his niece, Marion; his extended family and very many friends. I acknowledge the presence of his family in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. He would be very proud to see them present today. We salute a great parliamentarian, a great friend and, above all, a great family man. Go ndéanfaidh Dia trócaire ar a anam.