Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to join in the tributes from all sides of the House to a giant of a man. I had the pleasure of serving with Tom over a number of years.

I remember in particular his period as Government Chief Whip, as alluded to by Senator Bacik. The job of a Whip, as Senator Coghlan will know, is not the easiest job in the world, and one needs a particular type of temperament. Senator Coghlan follows in the proud tradition of Senator Fitzgerald in that regard. Temperament is all, and I can never remember a time when Tom would have been in any way insulting or critical of Members on all sides of the House, but particularly in his job as Chief Whip. He was very easy to get on with.

There was a certain star quality about Tom as well, and Senator Daly referred to his time in "Ryan's Daughter". All of us were very much aware of the central role he played in that regard and I could not help but reflect that it is ironic that in the week we are paying this tribute to former Senator Fitzgerald, one of the stars of that movie, Christopher Jones, whom Tom would have known during that period, passed away in America. I could not help but reflect also on the impact that film made in the Dingle Peninsula. Some figures indicate that over £1 million was injected into the local economy, which was an enormous sum of money at the time, particularly in an area that was severely economically disadvantaged, and it was from that background and that environment that Tom came. It was not surprising, therefore, that he fought tenaciously, and very successfully, to improve and update the facilities in his beloved native Dingle.

I agree with those who spoke about Tom's loyalty. It was not easy to be a supporter of Charles Haughey during a particular period of our development in the 1990s, but Tom had a friendship with Charlie Haughey that transcended politics. While people used to slag him a little about it, he always took it in good part but we all knew that Tom thought the world of Charlie Haughey and that he was a very close friend and confidant to him. He had great pride in the fact that he was able to have Mr. Haughey visit Dingle, particularly for the regatta, during that period.

The memories of Tom are happy ones, and I know the same is true for his family. He was a big loss to this House when he left due to ill-health. He had his political ups and downs. I recall the day he lost his seat here, not on the first occasion but in the latter years. It was a crushing blow to him because he loved this House and he loved being a parliamentarian. It was with great joy that we all welcomed, within a few weeks, the announcement by the then Taoiseach that he had appointed Tom to the Seanad, where he resumed his role with great efficiency. I have great affection for and great memories of a great man. To his wife Bridie and family, ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.