Michael McDowell (Independent)

I did it myself. He stood for the party in the local elections, which I did too, and he also stood against Michael D. Higgins, narrowly missing out on one occasion in 1991. Eventually, he went to Chicago and he and Anne established a great family there. It is worthwhile repeating some of the things that were said about Billy in Chicago. The head of the Irish American News, a man called Cliff Carlson, said:

No one in Chicago has done more for immigrants and refugee rights than Billy. Mr. Lawless has only been in Chicago since the late 1990s, yet his impact on our great city is indelible.

Billy formed, as you mentioned, a Chathaoirligh, a movement to ensure that there would be justice in Chicago for the undocumented Irish and to foster the Irish-American community's future in Chicago. In 2019, in this House, he said:

Our own history is indelibly linked to the refugees of today. Irish people sought sanctuary in the US, were shipped to Australia, and went to England for work with the hope of building a new life for themselves and a brighter future for their families. Former President Mary McAleese recently stated that considering their own history, Irish people have no right to be racist.

This was one of the cornerstones of his beliefs. In 2018, he said:

As an Irish citizen and American citizen, I am very proud that this is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have an anti-immigrant party. Long may that last.

I echo those sentiments today.

Billy was a liberal. He stated:

Who would have thought that in 1973, when Senator Norris commenced his campaign to decriminalise homosexuality, Ireland would become the first country in the entire world to equalise our marriage laws through a popular vote? There are generations of Irish people who would scarcely believe that being homosexual was a statutory offence between 1861 and 1993. As a proud father of a gay daughter - my business partner who is now married to a Texan with a beautiful daughter - it is a great measure of the social transformation which has taken place in our society.

That was Billy. He was not just the returned Irish émigré, who was the Yank in our midst. He was very much his own man.He also made an important point when he said:

It is clear that the authors of the Constitution believed deeply in the importance of the Irish abroad, codifying that recognition in Article 2 which recognises that the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage. I acknowledge that there may be some in the country who fear that those who may wish to vote in presidential elections do not fully appreciate or understand the Ireland from which they departed or from which they derive citizenship.

Billy supported votes for the Seanad for Irish citizens living abroad. He also moved to persuade the Irish Government to do something about according voting rights to Irish citizens abroad.

Billy also spoke on the gender recognition legislation, stating:

Let us not ever underestimate children, regardless of what age they are. I was watching a television programme the other night on this issue. What really struck me was that the young transgender girl told her mother when she was three years of age and the mother believed her. She is the most beautiful girl today and is so happy in herself. I was really overcome with emotion when I watched that programme and thought of what she would have gone through. That we in this country of Ireland are able to discuss these issues is a credit to everyone.

The image that some journalists perhaps have of Billy as an Irish-American tough and successful businessman who had absorbed American politics to some extent, as somebody who was a typical American, is not true. He was a typical, thoroughgoing liberal in his approach to many issues. He brought that liberalism to this House. When he was appointed, he had a slight dilemma. He was a Fine Gael man by origin. He had been appointed by the then Taoiseach, but he understood that he was in this House as somebody who was non-partisan and he voted against the Government on occasion, which was sometimes to the disappointment of the then Government Whip. He showed his courage in so many ways.

I do not want to speak about myself, but I want to say that I find it difficult even now to think that he is not at the end of the phone. I also find it difficult not to think that I could discuss American politics with him by bumping into him here or there. He showed generosity to me and my wife, Niamh, by inviting us to go to Chicago when he was grand marshal of the parade there. He brought us to so many events. I remember on one occasion that he brought us out on a Sunday morning to show us the panorama of the buildings of Chicago. He stopped the car in a deserted park. It was like going up to the Phoenix Park on a Sunday morning here. There was nobody about. He was pointing out this building, that building and the other building. Suddenly, there was a knock on his window and there stood a policeman. He rolled down the window and was handed a $100 citation for parking on double-yellow lines. I remember saying that that was absolutely outrageous. He had only been here for half a minute. He said, "Michael, in America, you don't argue with the cops."

What can I say about Billy that needs to be recorded here in order that his family hears it stated in public? He loved his family. He loved every single member of his family. He lived their problems and their challenges. He loved Anne above all. They were a model couple in so many ways. I know that for Anne, it has been a huge loss that she has to live without her life partner, Billy. I want to assure her that his tradition and memory lives on in these Houses. The people in this Chamber who were here when he was a Senator remember his kindness, his bravery and his voting on foot of his convictions. Maybe in future we will have another enlightened Taoiseach who will have a Senator for the diaspora. I certainly hope that we will have a Senator from Northern Ireland to represent the unionists in this House again. We will never have the likes of Billy Lawless again.

In one sense, this it is a sad moment for me to have to speak of Billy as a historic figure in the context of this House. In another, it is a great pleasure to bear witness to a person who was such a receptacle of humanity, decency and kindness. I welcome the opportunity that the Cathaoirleach has given us today to pay tribute to a man who deserves every single one of those tributes.