Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was a great honour to serve for ten years in this House with the late Maurice Hayes. I was greatly shocked when I heard that he had died because I had met him not long before in the bar in Leinster House. I extend my sympathy to his wife, Joan, sons, daughters, grandchildren and extended family.

Maurice Hayes was a great appointment to the Seanad by Bertie Ahern. He was also a great reappointment. His contributions rank with any contribution ever made here. He was a director of the Irish Independentnewspaper and the articles he wrote in it, as Senator McDowell said, were unbelievable. His wit on some occasions, not only in this House but in his articles, was unbelievable. He was also a great civil servant. It is very hard to add to what other speakers have said about him, but he was an absolute gentleman for every person who ever met him. He was multi-talented, from being a writer to an administrator, a debater, a GAA man and a GAA administrator.

I had many conversations with Maurice Hayes about the GAA. I think I see Seán O'Neill who is very welcome to the Chamber. He brought the Sam Maguire cup - I was going to say across the River Shannon where we are waiting for it in County Mayo - to the North for the first time in 1960 and 1961. When I was playing football more recently, there was an old tradition that at half time one had an orange or half of one. More recently, people have said one should eat fruit after training to prevent the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. I decided that I would ask Maurice what the position was with the Down team in 1960 and 1961. I asked if they usually ate oranges at half time and, if they did, what was the reason for it? He said they did, but he did not know the reason. He said it was an old rugby thing. I am still none the wiser. It was a great honour to be here with him and I was saddened by his death. I sympathise with his family, including his extended family. He was a loss to this House and is a loss to the country and the island as a whole.