Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We meet at this juncture to pay tribute to the late Senator Maurice Hayes. We will have tributes from speakers from various sides of the House but before I invite Senators to contribute, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Maurice’s wife, Johanna, to his children, Clodagh, Margaret, Dara, Garret and Ronan, and to some of Maurice’s grandchildren who are also present. On behalf of the Members of the Seanad, I would like to express again our sympathy to you and I hope that, since Maurice's death last December, you have been able, in your own ways, to come to terms with your sad loss.

In his public and civic life, Maurice Hayes was a man who made a remarkable contribution to his country in so many different ways. He made his mark early on the sports field, hurling for his native County Down, and later, as county secretary, engineering the Down football team’s first All-Ireland victory in 1960. Maurice’s commitment to community and public service was also evident in his early career choices, first teaching and then as town clerk in Downpatrick.

As a writer, an academic, a public servant and a Senator, the details of Maurice Hayes’s later career are well known. As we look back at his life, it is very evident that Maurice was a man who was driven by a strong commitment to public service, to helping find solutions to problems, including those others might have seen as intractable, and to doing the best he could for his country. In the Northern Ireland context, Maurice, while imbued with the best traditions of his own community, had respect for all traditions and contributed to the betterment of all. A man of great principle, it was his sense of integrity, decency and honesty that guided all his endeavours.

Maurice spent ten years as a Member of this House, from 1997 to 2007. I had the privilege of serving as a Member of these Houses while Maurice was here. I will, therefore, remember Maurice not only for his contribution as a public man and a true patriot, but also as a friendly and decent man of good humour and good company. As I said earlier, I deliberately wore the red and black today to indicate the Down colours of which he was very proud.

On a personal note, when I lost my Dáil seat in 2007, which is a difficult pill to swallow, six people rang me to try to console me and wish me well, one of whom was the late Maurice Hayes. It was very kind of him and a very nice gesture. My memory of him in the Seanad is that when he spoke, one would listen to him. He did not speak every day, but when he spoke he had something to say.Most Senators would listen to the sincerity of his views on issues he brought before us in this Chamber. The House was the poorer for his departure and Ireland is the poorer for his loss. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.