Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is only a small point on the historical record, but it made no difference to the status of Brian Friel or any of the rest of us. It was just physical.

When it comes to paying tribute to somebody of the stature of Brian Friel, I stand back in awe. I could not help but reflect on the fact that there were little things along the way when I touched on his life. As a young emigrant in London in my late teens, I always had a great interest in the theatre. I remember when "Philadelphia Here I Come" opened on Shaftesbury Avenue I bought a ticket to go see the production which starred the late Patrick Bedford and the late Donal Donnelly as Gar and the other Gar. I was absolutely enthralled by it. The fact that it had been written by an Irishman and that it was being premiered in the West End was a great source of pride to me at the time. To think that some years later I would serve in the House with him was awe-inspiring. I cannot say I knew Brian Friel the man. As happened in the case of many who were nominated for non-political reasons, his appearances in the Seanad, while important, were rare. I do not think he was a politician per se, but I found him to be friendly, courteous and always willing to engage in the small talk one makes in the House between votes.

Brian Friel voted on six pieces of legislation during his tenure in office and it is rather interesting to look at the broad breadth of that legislation. His voted first on the Adoption Bill 1987. He subsequently voted, believe it or not, on Report and Final Stages of an abattoirs Bill. He also voted on the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1987, better known as the Single European Act. This was the the subject of the first contribution I made as a new Senator, not in this Chamber but in the Dáil chamber, as Senator David Norris might remember.