Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the family of the late former Senator, Feargal Quinn, to the House, and many of his friends who are in the other Gallery and right across Ireland.

I met and worked with Feargal Quinn on only one or two occasions. We worked together, along with Senator McDowell and others, in the campaign to save the Seanad in 2013, long before I thought I might ever become a Senator. As previous speakers stated, he spoke with such warm and passion about the Seanad, not only what it was but also what it could become. He was an incredibly powerful advocate for the Seanad at that time and a wonderfully gracious person.

I did not have the opportunity of serving with Feargal Quinn in the Seanad. We have heard Senators speak of him warmly, and they also speak with great warmth in between times about working and serving with him. I was, however, placed in his office for my first few weeks in the Oireachtas. I saw in the labelled shelves in his office a level of meticulous organisation I will never match. One could see in how well organised his office was the attention and thought that went in to every aspect of his work, from personal communications through to his legislative work.

What I know best is some of the legislation he brought forward. It is an incredible achievement to have introduced 17 Bills, some of which, for example, his legislation on subcontractors and their rights and on health, are now well known. It was clear that health was an area of passion for Feargal Quinn. He did work on access to defibrillators, which were not common or understood at the time, organ donation and other issues. We are still debating some of these issues in the House and seeking to implement adequate legislation areas that support people's health. There was a level of care and concern in his legislation.

When I was working on the area of privacy, I was struck by how current Feargal Quinn was. Only days before he retired from the Seanad, he introduced legislation on drones and was looking at legislation on privacy. He was always up to the minute and concerned with new and emerging issues. I say that because that work matters. It leaves traces and affects the debates and decisions that happen here today.

I knew that part of him but when I went to his funeral I learned about many other parts of him that I did not know about. The colour and warmth he brought to the lives of his family were clear from his colourful ties and that came across beautifully. It was also clear how loved he was in the world of business. I was struck by a few points that seemed to echo what I saw in him as a Senator. His strong and gracious voice in debate, which has been recognised and spoken about by previous speakers, was clear to those who spoke to him. I was struck that the Mandate trade union spoke about him as somebody with whom they could work with respect and that he embraced unions in his company. That was an important tribute from those who would have been adversaries at times but who also recognised the respect he showed.

People spoke about having been managed by him. They spoke of the faith he placed in them and the potential he saw in them. That was the potential he saw in this House. It is why he was passionate about Seanad reform as well. He was excited about the idea. Even in his last speech, he said that the House could not happen without enthusiasm. He said: "If we are going to succeed, we have to continue with the commitment, the dedication and the enthusiasm which I have seen here during the years." He wanted everyone to be enthusiastic about the Seanad and he trusted everybody to be interested in debating issues in a different way and in the Seanad bringing a different perspective. That is echoed as well.

All of those strands, all of that enthusiasm for life, business, his family and what Ireland could and should be, have carried through. While the work of Seanad reform, which he pushed for, has not yet delivered, we will continue to campaign for that as well.

It is an honour to serve on the panel which Feargal Quinn served so graciously for such a long time. On behalf of the Civil Engagement group, I pay tribute to him.