Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ar mo shon féin agus ar son Fhine Gael gabhaim comhbhrón le clann Kiely agus cuirim fíor-fháilte rompu agus roimh mhuintir Fhianna Fáil. Táimid ag smaoineamh agus ag caint mar gheall ar fhear uasal, macánta agus cairdiúil. Nílimid ag céiliúradh ach tá an ócáid seo cosúil le céiliúradh mar tá brón orainn ach ní bás atá ann ach athfhás. Mar a dúirt an Seanadóir Sullivan, tá sé ag breathnú orainn inniu.

I had the pleasure of knowing Rory Kiely for many years not in a political sense but as a GAA man. The tributes paid to him today are well deserved. The number of former and current Members of the Oireachtas present today speaks volumes about the man Rory Kiely was. I welcome his family, in particular. I have been friendly with his son, Vincent, for a long time. I also had the pleasure of meeting his son-in-law, Gerry, who is a Tipperary man.

On my own behalf and that of the Fine Gael Party, I welcome Mary Cowen and Deputy Barry Cowen. I extend our very best wishes to Brian and hope he has a full recovery. Brian is a very genuine, sincere man and I had the pleasure of serving with him in the Oireachtas.

Rory Kiely was a man, as many people have said, who transcended the political divide. He was an extraordinary character. He was, as has been said, a Fianna Fáil man, a GAA man and a Limerick man but he was also a man of his community and of his people. I refer to the magnificent stadium that Croke Park is today, and Senator Leyden is right about that. Tributes have been paid to many members of the Cabinet at the time, the former Taoiseach and presidents of the GAA but Rory Kiely was a pivotal player in ensuring that the funding was given to Croke Park and that the stadium was built in the way that it was. I know that from serving with him on Munster's GAA coaching and games development, and being involved as an officer of the Cork county board.

When one considers Charles J. Kickham's reference to the pride of the parish and pride of place, Rory Kiely comes to mind. Rory was affable, a gentleman and a rogue. He was firm, fair and friendly but he was a really good man.

The former Minister, Batt O'Keeffe, is present. Many Members and former Members will remember the time when Frank Murphy was the county board secretary in Cork. Very few people got beyond the hatch in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and even fewer got beyond the phone to speak to Frank. As a former officer, I had the pleasure of working with Mairéad and Barbara in the office during the summer. On one particular evening we had a meeting and a phone call was put through to the office. Mairéad answered and told the caller that she was not sure if Frank was available. Then Frank walked into the office and Mairéad identified the caller as Rory Kiely. The backroom team was sent away and Frank got on the phone. A couple of minutes later Frank emerged and he asked me whether I had anything on that evening to which I replied "No". He asked me to take a bundle of tickets to Rory Kiely in Limerick and I was duly dispatched with the tickets. It was not a small number of tickets, and John Cregan would have been very proud of his ability to get the tickets. We stopped on the side of the road halfway between Cork and Charleville, just outside Mallow at Newtwopothouse where we met Rory. He opened the envelope and said that Frank was very generous and he asked me if I would like a ticket. I said I would and I got a ticket to the Limerick-Wexford All-Ireland Final.

I will share another GAA memory of Rory Kiely.I will not name the person concerned - Gerry Maguire will understand - but a prominent Cork hurler was in trouble. I was the chairman of the GAA club in University College Cork at the time. There was a Munster council hearing and I was dispatched with the player to that meeting. For some reason, Rory Kiely sometimes called me "Barry". The chairman of the meeting asked if anyone had any knowledge of Mr. Buttimer and the player and Rory said he did not know Barry at all. The hearing was going badly anyway for the prominent Cork player. Rory might have had a different idea of a good outcome wearing his Limerick hat, but to be fair to him he winked at me halfway through the hearing and said we would be fine. He was right and we won our appeal. Rory Kiely was part of a great triumvirate with Gerald McKenna and Frank Murphy in the GAA.

My other story from the GAA about Rory concerns the time when we were bringing the concept of games development officers and associated bursaries to fruition at third level. Rory Kiely was an extraordinary supporter of that endeavour. I recall another meeting that was not going too well and where we were in a bit of bother. In his calm and understated way, Rory asked a particular question and that allowed me and two other lads to give a speech outlining the virtue of our case. A vote was subsequently taken and Rory Kiely was the man who swung the vote that day.

I also have a story about Rory and Frank Murphy. A Cork candidate was going for a Munster council job. There was an agreed rota for people to be elected to positions on the council, but this particular Cork candidate was anxious to run for election. For some reason, Denis Lyons, former Deputy and Minister of State, and I were earmarked to travel with the candidate and we met Rory, who was supporting a different candidate. We left that meeting, however, thinking that the Cork candidate was getting the vote. I subsequently met Rory at another Munster council meeting and he remarked that our candidate had not done too well. I agreed with him and he reminded me that we would have another day. He was a gentleman. I had the great pleasure of knowing Rory Kiely from a GAA perspective and I had the great pleasure of watching him in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. He went up and down the stand, where he knew and spoke to everybody. He had a word for everybody.

Today is a difficult and emotional day for his family, as well as for the members of the Fianna Fáil Party. Rory was a loyal son, a great father and a great Gael. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.