Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As Leader of the House, I am honoured to lead the tributes to the late Dr. Trevor West, a former Member of Seanad Éireann and a prestigious academic at Trinity College Dublin, who, sadly, passed away recently. I extend sincere sympathy to his family, especially his wife, Maura, and the other family members who have travelled here today.

Trevor West was an extraordinary person. He served in the 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Seanaid, beginning in 1970 and ending in 1982, accumulating over a decade of public service. Throughout his career in public life, he remained an independent Trinity College Senator and his politics reflected this.

He was not a party political person; he was an achiever and a reformist. He devoted much of his time in Seanad Éireann to successfully initiating and supporting legislation which had not previously been considered by a predominantly Catholic body. He joined his then Seanad colleague, and later President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in campaigning on social issues of great importance at the time, including the provision for contraception.

In a warm tribute to Trevor West's life, Ulick O'Connor wrote recently that Trevor had a significant effect in bringing members of the Northern Protestant community forward in relation to the political divide and that he played a significant part in creating a situation where the dominance of the bomb and the bullet has been replaced by a working parliament. As we are all too aware, the journey to a permanent peace on this island has been a long and most challenging one, but Trevor West contributed to it greatly. His contribution to his country went far beyond his time as a university Senator.

Trevor was and will remain one of the country's most respected mathematicians. After being schooled in Midleton, County Cork, he pursued mathematical studies in Trinity College, before pursuing his PhD at Peterhouse College in Cambridge. On completion of his PhD, he returned to Trinity College in 1966, where he was appointed as lecturer. Eleven years later he was made associate professor of mathematics. He was very much an intellectual and a beautiful master of the English language. His first book was a biography of Sir Horace Plunkett, a founding president and one of the pioneers of the co-operative movement established in the early 20th century.

Sport also dominated Trevor's life. While at Cambridge, he served as president of the cricket club between 1974 and 1980. His contribution to the Irish cricket scene was immense. Not only was he an outstanding player for Trinity's first XI cricket time, he also had a significant part to play in developing an Irish universities' tournament. One of his most notable moments as a Senator was his successful campaign in overturning a proposal by authorities in Trinity College to replace the Trinity rugby pitch with a building. I am sure that is something close to Senator Barrett's heart also.