Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On 28 February, Ireland lost a very valued friend when former Congressman Brian Donnelly passed in Massachusetts. He was a renowned Democrat with strong west of Ireland connections. He came on board to support the John Hume school of thinking and the consent principle, which was very important at a moment in time when Irish America needed leaders. Probably most significantly, along with Tip O'Neill and Ted Kennedy, he was instrumental in forming the bipartisan congressional approach to Northern Ireland with the Friends of Ireland. Only last year, a bipartisan congressional delegation visited us. The head of that delegation, Congressman Richard E. Neal, addressed this Chamber. Considering American politics is so fractured, it is an amazing lasting legacy to unite Republicans and Democrats and never turn what is known as the national question into a political football. President Clinton later appointed Mr. Donnelly as ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, where he served with distinction.

Congressman Donnelly is probably best-known to a whole generation of Irish people - I was a student union leader at the time - for the Donnelly visas. More than 25,000 Irish people were either thrown a lifeline through papers received under that programme or had undocumented papers suddenly regularised. He was also a fierce advocate for and supporter of seeking justice for the Birmingham Six, which was a huge travesty of justice. He was one of those brilliant Irish-American friends we truly valued. I am delighted to say he returned to Ireland when his health improved. The American ambassador to Ireland gave him a reception, where he was greeted with huge and richly-deserved warmth.

I say thank you to Brian Donnelly. He served his native country very well. We are forever grateful to Congressman Donnelly and many others of his ilk. They were instrumental for us at a different time in Ireland, when it was so needed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.