Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I echo to the word what Senator Dolan has just said and the way he said it.

When I learned of the death of Mrs. Maureen Haughey, and I would like to be associated with messages of condolences to her family, I was struck by something that was said when her husband, Charles Haughey, died. At his funeral, RTE's John Bowman said that whatever one thought of his political views from all sides, there was no doubt about his greatness because greatness is about one's impact on events. The same words are relevant when we think of Martin McGuinness today. However, without in any way resiling from our disagreement with the path of violence towards a resolution of any human dispute, one can certainly say that there was greatness in the choice he made for peace when he came to make that choice, in the way that he led others, in the way he co-operated with past opponents and so on. On a personal note, having met him, he was a very gracious man.

There are others who we remember, including the families who are suffering who still have not found the remains of their loved ones as a result of last week's tragedy off the west coast.We think of Bishop Eamonn Casey who did so much in the area of social justice, which should never be forgotten.