Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Senator Ó Donnghaile may be a relative newcomer to Seanad Éireann but Comhaontas Glas, or the Green Party, is brand new to it. This is our first time as a separate grouping in the Chamber. The opening words of Senators McGahern and O'Sullivan, who are from the two big parties that have been around since the foundation of the State, aptly summed up the late Senator Brennan. They were said so eloquently and were full of sincerity and it is very hard to follow on from them because they encapsulated everything I have heard about the late Senator Brennan. I did not have the pleasure of meeting him personally but I am a proud native of Carrickmacross, which is not 100 miles away. This means that I would have subscribed to and read The Argusand The Democraton a weekly basis, in which the Brennan and Savage names featured a lot. I was one of the readers of the political pages and they certainly dominated them. In fact, they sounded like a very successful New York law firm, Savage and Brennan.

Terry ran a lean, mean political machine, as Senator O'Sullivan said. The latter is from the kingdom of Kerry but there are other great kingdoms. The kingdom of Cooley is one that springs to mind. That was a kingdom in which one would not get through or make political progress without having the imprimatur or the blessing of the Brennans of Cooley. I say that on the basis of the wonderful words of respect of my fellow Senators have uttered. I also have a very direct and reliable source in former councillor and former Senator, as well as Dundalk native, Mr. Mark Deary, who holds the late Senator Brennan in the highest regard. He spoke of his decorum and his image, which is very important in local politics and of the respect we should inculcate as role models and leaders. Terry Brennan had that in bucketfuls. He was also generous with his time and shared his wisdom with my very good friend Mark Deary on more than one occasion.

One of the most important lessons for me in this, my first time in the Seanad, is the remarkably constructive relationship between the two big tribes of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They have come from very separate constituencies but at a time when we needed to form a Government, they stepped up and put aside their differences. Those differences were amplified for me when I looked at old Dáil reports of proceedings around the time of the enactment of the Republic of Ireland Act in 1948. It was a hostile political environment in Ireland. There was an awful lot of sniping at one another and political point scoring, but during the time of Brexit and the pandemic, those two big democratic tribes managed to bury their differences and work day in, day out, together. I know they are separate and are quite competitive but they have put the nation and the State first, or at least that is what my first-hand experience of these two big political parties tells me. I am saying all this because a precursor to those two parties forming that historic coalition was to be seen throughout Ireland at local government level, the heart beat of Ireland. I personally saw co-operation between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael when it came to putting counties first. That was very prescient and a precursor to what was to happen. It was almost like Sunningdale for slow learners, the second time around because that was happening at local government level and was epitomised by the co-operation between councillors Savage and Brennan in the chamber of Louth County Council. They put Louth first at all times. Now we have two big parties that are extremely competitive at times, but they are putting their country first. I want to acknowledge that.

Politics takes a battering from time to time but the world that he inhabited and the life that the late Senator Brennan lived is testament to the high regard in which he was held. He is an inspiration to those who may wish to serve in politics now or in the future. He set a standard that we should all strive to reach as public representatives, the Brennan test. When all our careers are over, I hope we will have taken a leaf out of the book of the life of that public servant, councillor and Senator, Terry Brennan. I was a councillor in Monaghan for many years and I understand the importance of local government. The standard set by the late Terry Brennan is the one that we should all strive to reach.