Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 21 Members of the House who contributed to the Order of Business. To begin, i dtús báire, ba mhaith liom ar mo shon féin agus ar son Fhine Gael mo chomhbhrón a bhronnadh ar mhuintir McGuinness agus ar pháirtí Shinn Féin ar bhás Martin McGuinness.

Death is always sad. It is a period of mourning and of loss for family and friends and those left behind. Since we last met our nation has been gripped by tragedy and by loss of life. Our nation has been affected by the dreadful news of the terrible accident involving the crew of R116, the very sad passing today of Martin McGuinness, the very sudden and untimely death of young Ryan McBride in his prime, the very sad passing of Maureen Haughey and the passing of Bishop Eamon Casey.

Many of us woke up this morning to the sad news of the death of Martin McGuinness. As a person and as a politician he made a contribution and a difference to the lives of all of us on our island, and it is fair that we should cast aside our political differences and pay tribute to him as somebody who played a key role in forging peace on our island. In his life he will be rightly remembered as a peacemaker. He made the move from being a commander in the IRA to a person who recognised the importance of peace, reconciliation and the gesture of reaching out.He forged a relationship and friendship with the late Ian Paisley, which was a testimony to the man. In addition, he shook the hand of the Queen in welcoming her to the North. He made government and the institutions of the Northern Ireland Assembly work, which shows that he was a negotiator and a facilitator. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Boston Airport and also being next to him on a radio broadcast as I was about to be eliminated in the last general election and he wished me well. He was genuine and generous on the two occasions I met him. To his wife, Bernie, and family who have lost not just a father, a husband and a grandfather but also a friend and to the Sinn Féin Party which has lost a colleague and a friend, we extend our sympathy. His legacy will be one of peace and the abandonment of sectarianism.

The tragic accident that befell the crew of R116 numbed the nation. The loss of Dara Fitzpatrick, a captain and leader in her role, shows her courage and the preciousness of life. We extend our sympathy to her family. As a House and a nation, we pray that the bodies of the missing crew members, Paul Ormsby, Mark Duffy and Ciarán Smith, will be found and returned to their families in order that they can say one last goodbye to them. The events in the aftermath of the tragic accident, as outlined by so many Senators today, underline the importance of the work of the Irish Coast Guard and the bravery and courage of the men and women who go out in very dangerous conditions, often late at night, and put their own lives at risk. We thank all those involved for their work and bravery. We thank the community in Blacksod Bay, the 300 people to whom Senator Rose Conway-Walsh referred, who are involved in a voluntary capacity in helping to bring closure to allow the families grieve. We thank the professionals involved in the rescue effort. We hope they will soon be successful in order that the families can say goodbye.

The Haughey family are this afternoon burying their mother and grandmother, Maureen Haughey, who bore being the wife and daughter of a Taoiseach with great dignity. She was the daughter of Seán Lemass and the widow of Charles J. Haughey. She was also the mother of Sean Haughey, a former Member of this House and a sitting Member of the Dáil. We extend our deepest sympathy to all of the Haughey family on their sad loss. She gave to the nation the importance of civic life.

Senator Fintan Warfield very eloquently touched on the death of Ryan McBride. It is unbelievable that a young man could play soccer on a Saturday afternoon and be dead on the Sunday morning. That shows how precious life is. He was a young man who had assumed the captaincy of his club which he loved and for which he had played a leading role in the campaign this year. He was a great leader on the pitch. We extend our sympathy to his family on his untimely death.

Bishop Eamonn Casey was a pastoral leader and will be remembered for many things. As Senator Rónán Mullen said, he was a champion of social justice. As a seminarian in Maynooth, I had the pleasure of meeting him and recognised the importance of his work in Trócaire. When they were not very popular, he was a huge champion of the Irish in the United Kingdom. Many will recall his near death experience at the funeral of Óscar Romero and his stance against the then President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, will be remembered. He will be remembered for other reasons also. We extend our deepest sympathy to his son, Peter, and the wider Casey family.Senators Lawless, Bacik and Ó Clochartaigh raised the issue of the Government's decision, and the Taoiseach's announcement in Philadelphia, to extend the franchise in the Irish presidential election. As Senator Bacik has said, it comes on foot of the decision of the Constitutional Convention. In acknowledging the remarks of Senators Ó Clochartaigh, Lawless and Bacik, there is a lot of work yet to be done before a referendum comes to pass. I hope that the global Irish civic forum, which will take place in Dublin, will be the platform within which we can put detail to the announcement by Government. It will be an opportunity to have a debate on the future of presidential elections and the role of the diaspora and how they will be able to vote, if it is carried by the people. The caveat is that it will be a referendum of the people, which will happen in time. It is important to recognise that the Constitutional Convention, in its fifth report, made a very strong recommendation on this issue. I thank the members of the convention again. It is an important decision by Government to allow a referendum to be put to the people to amend the Constitution around Irish citizens who are resident outside the State having a vote in presidential elections. I hope we will be able to have that debate in a calm and timely manner.

Senators Bacik and Gavan raised the issue of the Clerys workers, and in particular I compliment Ethel Buckley. It has been a good day for the people in SIPTU, and for all of us, in that we will be able to see a development take place that recognises the workers' rights and recognises the way they have been so badly treated in the debacle that happened. I hope that whatever happens on the site will be fitting for O'Connell Street in our capital city. I also pay tribute to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Brendan Carr, for the role he played.

I remind Senator Bacik that I am open to examination on the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 tomorrow.