Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to be associated with the tributes to the late Martin J. O'Toole. He served in the House from 1977 to 1989. He was elected on the agricultural panel. He was known as Martin Joe or Martin J.; nobody knew him as Martin J. O'Toole. He was known by his first name and very few people in the country can be elected through being known by their first name. It is a tribute to anyone who is known only by a first name. He was a member of the 26th Dáil from 1989 to 1992 but he was somewhat reluctant in running for the Dáil. He really liked the Seanad and he was a fabulous councillor. I would say he was somewhat reluctant to run in the constituency of Mayo West, as it was.

He was a farmer and a cattle exporter. He exported cattle mainly to Scotland. The cattle he bought and sold the length and breadth of the country were mainly blue heifers. He was somewhat of an expert on blue heifers and, along with his brother, he exported many of them to Scotland. At county council meetings, he ventured to tell us that we should buy a horse to go racing and to win the Chester Cup in England. The Moores of Moorehall in Mayo had a horse that won the Chester Cup. He envisaged us having a horse that would win the Chester Cup but his judgment of horses was not as good as his judgment of blue heifers. We forgot the name of the horse fairly quickly.

I knew Martin J. for a number of years, having served with him on Mayo County Council for 20 years. We always went to him for advice and he had a very steady hand in the council chamber. He was chairman of the council on a number of occasions. It is an honour to be chairman of the council for one year but Martin J. O'Toole had the honour of being chairman of Mayo County Council for seven years. It is a great tribute to him that he was elected on a number of occasions to the chair of Mayo County Council.

He was quite a character and he had a great sense of humour. He was very entertaining and witty. He was not the first person home from the pub at night time. What a character.

One would travel the length and breadth of the country to meet a character like Martin J. O'Toole. He was respected by politicians of all parties, whether across the floor of the Dáil, in this Chamber or in Mayo County Council.

I was very sad to learn of the death of Martin J. O'Toole, because I thought people like Martin J. O'Toole would live on forever. He had a very distinguished political career; he was a member of Mayo County Council for 44 years and a Member of the Oireachtas for 15 years, serving in both Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. He left his mark, as Senators have said.

He was a great Mayo man. He was great advocate for Knock Airport, as well as advocating in Mayo for major sewerage and water schemes. He worked very well with various county managers over the years as well as with the Government and Opposition parties of the day to get the best for our county. He will be missed by everybody in the county, but most of all by his family. I would like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the members of his family who are in the Gallery, his sons, Padraig, Austin, Martin and Séamus, and his daughters, Marie, Anna, Breda and Gráinne, and their extended family. I believe Martin J. had about eight grandchildren. The family is very welcome to this House today for these expressions of sympathy.

The late Martin J. left his mark on the Oireachtas and on Mayo County Council. He left a mark on everybody he met, and none more so than his great pal and colleague, Rory Kiely, a former Cathaoirleach of this House who served with him on the agricultural panel. He and Deputy Dara Calleary are in the Gallery. I welcome the former Cathaoirleach, Rory Kiely, to the House.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.