Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the family of Senator Jackman to the House. I also welcome the Ministers of State and Senators for our tribute to Mary Jackman. In a few simple words, Mary Jackman was a lady of great charm, great personality and great style. I first came to know her when I was not very involved in politics. I was on the edges of it. I was involved in an education advocacy group in Dún Laoghaire for people who were coming out of prison and had fallen out of education at the age of 15 because they had no supports. Mary Jackman was critical to our work with Monica Barnes, then a Fine Gael Deputy for Dún Laoghaire, who was a great advocate for the women's political movement, of encouraging women to join public life and of action by deed and doing her work. We met and set up a group. There was a little Dún Laoghaire training programme that embraced the Traveller community. It embraced apprenticeships and learning. People learn in different ways and at different times. Mary always said that. I found her to be a wonderful friend. More important, she led by example and she was an exceptionally good mentor and listener. Mary Jackman was a former Senator, a councillor and cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council. She was first elected a member of the council, representing the Castletroy district. She always reminded me of that and would ask whether I knew where Castletroy was. I now know where Castletroy is. It is a nice part of the world. There was a documentary recently about substantial properties in Castletroy and I was reminded of Mary and her great interest in heritage and sport. She was well-read and loved local government. She was elected to this House on two different occasions on the labour panel and served it with distinction. I looked at a photograph of her recently. My abiding memory is of a lady of charm, great personality and great style. She was always presented and stylish.

She included people and advocated for everyone. She saw herself principally not as a politician but as an advocate. I am not too sure what she would have thought of the great merger of Limerick city and county councils. I think she would have approved. She always put local people, advocacy, the community and the people before her political interests. I used to sometimes think that she was perhaps too nice for politics. It is a tough, brutal business. One does not want to lose one's unique personality in what one does and advocates.

I particularly acknowledge the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, because he gave a glowing tribute to her when she passed away. They worked well together. I also knew Mary through my connections with the Progressive Democrats. We had many a joke asking Mary to come from Fine Gael to the Progressive Democrats. It was not for her, but we joked about it. She had great respect for Des O'Malley who could be robust in his political arguments. She admired great qualities in him and shared a Limerick connection with him. She was respected by everyone across the political spectrum. She was a friend of everyone. If there is one thing it would be nice to be able to say when I finish my term in this House, it is that I might have been tough or hard, but that I was always respected and was respectful of others. That is a legacy I would like to leave. It is certainly one she left in this House.

She was committed to local government and to Limerick and deeply committed to, proud of and loyal to Fine Gael, which was her political family. Members of Fine Gael were her political friends. Fine Gael was the organisation she used to better her community and she found within it great support for her and her political objectives. She advocated well for more women in politics. We have travelled a big journey since then and new things are happening. Above all, she was a mentor to many people in her community, in enterprise and in her work on the chamber of commerce. She left a positive mark on local government and on councillor organisations and she is a person people can follow and say they would like to be her. To achieve half of what she achieved would be important. It was not altogether how she achieved it, but her style, integrity, commitment and niceness. What a simple word. When people are likeable they can achieve a lot and she did. I am glad to be part of paying tribute to her family. They must be proud to be in this House to which she was elected, not once, but twice and where she played a meaningful and successful role.