Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a sad day for many of us to see Senator Norris reach a point where he has decided to hang up his work in this House. I had the pleasure of getting to know him when I was first elected to the House in 2002. On behalf of a bunch of us then newcomers, I thank him for the way in which he assisted us in feeling at home. It was quite a daunting encounter for the many of us who were elected for the first time to come into a Chamber which is intimate in nature and in which there were powerful speakers, great orators, such as the Senator. He always encouraged us and whatever we might have said or whatever approach we might have taken, the Senator always had a word of encouragement when we walked out or went for a coffee afterwards. That was very helpful to us.

We also learned from the way in which the Senator went about his business and his history prior to our election to the House. He showed that populism is not the only way to gain the respect of the public. He showed that by being a lone voice, on occasion, the power of the reasoned argument could bring people around. It might take longer and it might take more work, and one might take a bit of flak along the way, but it is the right thing to do. Being in the herd - and perhaps the Senator did not feel comfortable as part of the herd - is the easy way out and would allow one to be elected and re-elected. The Senator has shown a generation of politicians that if you believe in something and you believe it is right, you should stick with it and the time will come.

Others have referenced the Senator's challenge of the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church, which at the time was not an easy path to follow because of the church's dominance. During the early stages of my time in this House, a group of nuns made a request to visit Leinster House. I took them to the restaurant and the Senator was there. Also present were senior Government Ministers and people who might have had greater notoriety but the only one the nuns wanted to meet was Senator Norris. I suspect their mother superior would not have been entirely enamoured with his being the person they most wanted to meet but that shows the power to change the Senator had. Many people believed in him but were not prepared, or were afraid, to admit it. Once the glass ceiling started to shatter, the Senator shone through. His work and what he has achieved are testament to his approach, his work, his commitments and his belief. I thank him for his friendship over the past 20 years.