Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join my colleagues in paying tribute to my late friend John Carty. In case I forget, I apologise on behalf of the Leas-Chathaoirleach who cannot be here because he is representing the Cathaoirleach abroad and on behalf of Senator Terry Leyden who is at the European Parliament attending a meeting of a sub-committee of the Council of Europe.

I welcome John's wife, Kathleen; his children, Lisa, Ciara, James, Cathal, John Henry, Eamon, Caoimhín and Iarla; his brother, Michael; and his sisters, Anne and Joan. I also acknowledge the presence of the former Cathaoirleach Rory Kiely, Deputies Dara Calleary and Eamon Ó Cuív and former Deputies Eamon Scanlon, John Ellis and Johnny Brady, with other members of John's close family and friends. This is not something we want to be doing, but it is something that John did on many occasions in the four years he served as a Member of this House. One former colleague, in particular, the late Kieran Phelan, summed John up very well when he called him a dapper little man.

John was very close to each and every one of us, including Members from other parties and none as well as his own. As Senator Darragh O'Brien noted, he used to hold court after the Order of Business and on many other occasions. During such sessions one could be reprimanded or praised but never be put down. John would always have advice for those who needed it. He would set us up if we needed to be but only in a light-hearted way. He had another great quality in that he could tell jokes about himself. I could repeat some of his jokes in this House, but there are others I should not tell. I recall one joke, in particular, that I will not rehearse. It pertained to an occasion on which he was in his local post office after the birth of his eighth child. I will tell the joke to those in his family who do not know it privately afterwards.

John worked as an agricultural inspector in Killeshandra, County Cavan, in the mid-1970s. He was highly regarded and made many great friends in the area. He told Deputy Brendan Smith and me many great stories about the local characters. His last visit to Cavan was to attend the wake of one of these great characters, Jim Hayes from Killeshandra, just a couple of months before he fell ill himself.

John was elected to Mayo County Council in 1999 and was previously closely involved with former Deputy and councillor P. J. Morley. He often said he never expected to have that opportunity and was very proud that, in a relatively short space of time, he went from working in the then Department of Agriculture, in which he was highly regarded, to becoming a member of Mayo County Council, a Deputy and a Senator, which very few people involved in politics achieve in a lifetime. His final contribution in the Seanad was on 20 April 2011 when he asked the Leader to intervene with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on a proposal made by Mayo County Council to make 150 staff members redundant. This contribution was made days before he ceased to be a Member of the Seanad. That reveals the dedication and commitment he brought to his role as a public representative for his native County Mayo and the most vulnerable people right up to the end.

As Senator Lorraine Higgins noted, John was very proud of the establishment and expansion of Knock Airport. He was single-handedly responsible for delivering €27 million for the airport. He was also a great historian and able to tell me things about my own county that I should have known myself, particularly about the west Cavan area. He was an honourable and decent man.

Can I just say this? Kathleen, he idealised you. He loved each and every one of you, his children. I know you used to come to the House periodically. He said you were in to rob him, although I am unsure what you were doing. At some point every one of you got to visit him in the House. He was very proud of each and every one of you.

We were very proud of him and we will miss him. May he rest in peace.