Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Seanad Éireann was saddened to hear of the loss of Billy Lawless. Those of us who served with him remember him fondly when he served with us as a proud representative of the Irish diaspora and of the 25th Seanad.

Before I ask Senators to make a contribution, I welcome Billy's wife, Anne, and daughter Amy, who have travelled from Menlo and Chicago, which are virtually next door, Billy's sisters, Mary and Helen, and the extended family. Your presence here today is greatly appreciated and we are honoured by your presence.

Former Senator Marshall is here. Senator Michael McDowell will lead off the tributes. Professor Niamh Brennan, wife of Senator McDowell and a dear friend of Billy and Anne, remembers him fondly as well. Former Senator Marshall served alongside Billy on a number of projects.

Of course, Tracy Young worked alongside Billy during his term in the Seanad. Tracy enjoyed her time working with Billy on so many areas of interest, but particularly representing the voice of the undocumented Irish and the Irish overseas. She enjoyed with Billy her time so much that she would be embarrassed to call it working. It was a joy to show up with Billy. If you enjoy what you do, Tracy, you will never work a day in your life.

On behalf of the Seanad, we express our deepest sympathies to you on the death of Billy last November. I know it takes a long time to come to terms with a loss, but we rarely have tributes to former Members. There are a lot of former Members of Seanad Éireann and the Leader has tributes to them in the week where they pass away, but to have a sitting of the House is something which happens for very few.

Of course, Billy, being from Galway and born in the 1950s, served his time learning his trade in hard work on lifting dairy cans for a creamery. It was of great help to him while he was a rower because lifting full cans of milk would certainly help your training for rowing, but also founding the Tribesmen Rowing Club in 1976 and rowing at all levels, including the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Sweden in 1987. He changed from working in the dairy industry to working in hospitality, which he became literally world famous for, in 1977, buying the Gallows Pub in Galway city - a must-stop place for visitors to Galway - and after that to the Twelve Pins Hotel in Barna.In 1982, he became the president of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, but he fell in love with Chicago after visiting with a cousin and emigrated there in the 1990s when things were not going as well in Ireland as they are at the moment. He opened the first of many bars - The Irish Oak - in 1998 and operated many pubs in Chicago, and also restaurants. His championing of the cause of the undocumented Irish in Chicago led him, as ever, to become a supreme organiser. He organised the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition and got more than 1,400 businesses involved in the cause of the undocumented, not just the undocumented Irish but also the undocumented from all over the world who made Chicago and the United States their home. He became a powerful voice in Washington. I heard that myself from US Senators from Illinois and beyond who all knew about Billy. He championed the cause of undocumented people in the United States, which resulted in them getting driving licences in Illinois. That is one of his lasting legacies.

Billy was then appointed to the 25th Seanad, which he entered in 2016. He was the first Irish emigrant to be appointed to the Oireachtas as a representative of the largest Irish community in the world - the Irish community not living in Ireland. I hope they did not all phone at the one time because it certainly would have kept Tracy very busy if they had. Billy became a freeman of Galway in 2015 and earned the presidential distinguished service award for Irish community supports, which he richly deserved. The citation in the honorary degree he got from the National University in Galway stated:

Billy Lawless is one of those unselfish Irishmen who refused to pull the ladder up after him after making it in America. Instead, he committed himself – heart and soul – to helping those Irish, and indeed all undocumented, obtain legal status.

To all those who knew Billy, ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Anois, his good friend, an Seanadóir Michael McDowell.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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A Chathaoirligh, thank you so much for those very kind words in tribute to our good friend, Billy Lawless. I would like to welcome his wife, Anne, his daughter Amy, who has travelled from Chicago, his sisters Helen and Mary, and family friends Carol and Maura. I also acknowledge the presence of Tracy Young, who you have mentioned as well, a Chathaoirligh, because if ever there was a relationship of loyalty and friendship between a member of staff of this House and their employer, it was that relationship between Billy and Tracy. She, like all of us, was very saddened by his death last November.

I know also that Billy Junior, Clodagh and John Paul are listening in to us from Chicago. I just want to say a few words about their father, in particular, the following. When I came here as a Senator for the first time in 2016, Billy had been appointed by Enda Kenny to be a Senator for the diaspora, and on the same day Ian Marshall had been appointed as a representative of the unionist community in this House. Both of them joined with a number of the rest of us to form a Seanad Independent group. We got to know each other obviously over the term of that Seanad. The great thing about Billy was that he was remarkably decent, kind, loyal, forthright and honest in all his dealings, not merely with the members of his own group, but right across the aisle, so to speak, in this House. He was somebody who was kind-hearted and slow to anger, but very clear about what he believed in and very true to what he believed in.

As has been said, Billy emigrated to Chicago in the 1990s, but although he had been a publican in Ireland and in the hospitality business, when he went to Chicago, he grew his workforce from ten to 250 people. No less a person than Barack Obama said "This is what we emigrants do." He built a hugely successful business, the Gage Hospitality Group in Chicago, largely through commitment, the efforts of his family and his personal qualities. When Enda Kenny decided to appoint him as a Senator for the diaspora, he did so on the basis that Ireland needed connections with its allies in the United States, and Billy took that role. Apart from being a leading member of the Irish-American community in Chicago, he took his role as diaspora representative and Member of the Irish Senate very seriously. He travelled to Washington and he knew all the main players on both sides of the aisle. He was hugely committed to developing relations between this country and America, and between members of both Houses of Congress in the United States, with a view to achieving certain aims, one of which was to assist the undocumented Irish who for so many years were living in a shadow. Things have moved on since then, as we grimly know today. Billy was somebody who saw the humanity of their situation. He did his level best to ensure that families were not broken up, that people were not rounded up and put into detention centres and that children were not left without their parents. These were the ideals that drove him in that area.

Regarding the economic relationship between Ireland and America, Billy never stopped seeking to develop contacts and encourage business relationships and mutual investment, both by the Irish in America and by the Americans in Ireland. That was because he knew from his own experience what could be achieved in terms of economic prosperity and the like.

Billy started off - it is not a sin - as a member of the Fine Gael Party.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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We all make mistakes.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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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.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Ivana Bacik, who is here today and who served with Billy with great distinction. If the rules of the House would allow us, I would ask her to say a few words, but I am sure Billy would wish the Deputy not to be coming back to Seanad Éireann. We thank Deputy Bacik for coming here today and showing solidarity with the family. We remember how Billy worked across the aisle with everybody for the betterment of everybody. I thank Deputy John Connolly from Galway for being here and showing that support for Billy was from all parties and none, and to acknowledge his great work.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Senator McDowell said everything that I wanted to say. It is all gone. My speech is finished. Let us go back to the start of my relationship with Billy. he had a relationship with my brother. My brother bought the Twelve Pins Hotel from Billy when Billy was emigrating. My brother knew him very well. In 2016, I spotted a notice that Enda Kenny was about to appoint a guy living in Chicago to the Seanad. Not being one to be shy with Twitter, I put out a tweet about how outrageous this was. What a waste of a seat, bring some Yank over here to fill a seat in the Seanad. Billy pulled into the car park with Anne. They got out of the car and were walking across the car park. That morning, just before I saw Billy, I got a phone call from my brother asking what sort of clown I was. What was I doing? How could I say that about Billy Lawless? I saw Billy walking towards me and thought I had better apologise and get the kick in first. Just as I was about to speak, Billy said, "I know all about you." He sort of put me back in my box.

Everything has been said about Billy. He was incredible in the way he could mix with anybody in this House, irrespective of their party allegiance, or with visitors coming into the House. He towered over the place. He was an enormous man. He was a Galwegian, and that side of him came out. I recall how proud he was when he was made a freeman of Galway, how proud he was when the university recognised him and how proud he was, as Senator McDowell said, of his family.

Billy invited a number of us to go to Chicago for St. Patrick's Day. We thought this would be a really good gig, going over to live it up in Chicago. It was a great idea, so we went. Billy met us at the airport at about 8 a.m. and we did not stop working until 12 o'clock that night. Billy was back in the hotel at 8 o'clock the following morning. It was mass, followed by a meeting with the mayor, followed by a meeting with one of the Kennedys and finally a meeting with the Governor of Illinois. At the end of the day, I was absolutely shattered. He thought that a good thing for us to do then would be to participate in the St. Patrick's Day parade. He walked us through Chicago in the freezing weather.He thought it was a great idea, which it was. It truly was a great idea.

Billy approached me at one stage - he approached all of the group - when he wanted to introduce legislation to lift the ban on serving alcohol on Good Friday. He asked me whether I would sign the legislation, to which I said I would be happy to sign it, and I did so. What Anne does not know, however, is that after Covid-19 struck the world, I received an email from a woman in Galway. I am always sorry I did not keep it because she said that she hoped Billy Lawless and I were proud of ourselves for having brought a pandemic on the world and doing away with the ban on drinking on Good Friday. We will take that with us as we go. That was the kind of character he was. He was able to bring sensitive legislation like that into this House and get it passed, both in this House and in the Dáil, to ultimately get it signed by another half-Galwegian, Michael D. Higgins. That is the kind of character he was and that is what he did. That was his way of working.

Interestingly enough, when I look at his background in Galway, particularly as an oarsman man with the Tribesmen Rowing Club, he was incredible. The people he mixed with, if you meet them today, will still talk about Billy and the tremendous oarsman he was. His daughter also received a scholarship for rowing, which Billy was extremely proud of. He told me at one stage after he had left the Seanad that he was going back to rowing. I do not know if he did. If he did, I do not know if they had a boat big enough for him to get into because, certainly, he was a tower of a man.

I know that Anne misses him. I know how much he meant to her. I know how the two of them got on together. I saw them in Chicago and how kind they were to my wife, Helen. The way we all got on over there was just incredible. As Senator McDowell pointed out a few minutes ago, it is hard to believe that he is not at the end of a phone or that I will not find him sitting in the corner of the Dáil bar. Approximately one year into his role as a Senator, and after I had pointed out how ridiculous it was to appoint a Senator from Chicago, I walked into the bar and he told me, "Craugh", to come over to him. I went over to him and he asked, “What about my attendance now?”. He had a greater attendance in this House than many people who lived in Dublin, let alone anywhere else. He was dedicated 100% to the political position he had been appointed to. He was dedicated to building a relationship with the United States. When you got word of someone in the US in trouble, you could pick up the phone to him and Billy would immediately react. I am deeply sorry for Anne and the family. He was a great man and a great Galwegian. I am so proud that I had a chance to know him. May he rest in peace.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I will put the time up for indication purposes. We have a lot of speakers who will have about three to four minutes apiece. There will be injury time because nothing actually sticks to time, but the Minister of State is coming in at 1 o'clock. Anois, glaoim ar an Seanadóir Ollie Crowe.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome Anne, Amy and family and friends here today. Billy was a fellow Galwegian and someone I had the privilege of knowing for the majority of my life. He was a gentleman who valued family above all else, which is what led to his move to the United States in the late nineties after his daughter won a rowing scholarship to Boston College. Billy was a noted oarsman as a young man and was very involved with rowing in Galway city. Billy and Anne were very successful in Chicago, building a number of successful hospitality businesses and creating hundreds of jobs. He was a stalwart of the Irish community there and he helped so many who moved to Chicago. Anyone visiting was also sure to get a warm reception from Billy. Indeed, he was such a role model in the community that when then President Barack Obama held a rally on an immigration issue in the city in 2014, he asked Billy to introduce him. Billy was also vital in fostering the sister city relationship between Galway and Chicago. In recognition of his great efforts, Galway City Council gave him the freedom of our city in 2015. Of course, he was perhaps best known for being a tireless voice for the diaspora and the undocumented Irish, work that he continued to do as a Senator from 2016 to 2020. Billy was presented a presidential distinguished service award for Irish community support, which he so richly deserved.

Above all, Billy was a proud Irishman and Galway man. He was a family man and a gentleman whose kindness and decency will be long remembered. He made a significant impact on both US and Irish politics, as well as in the hospitality sector in Chicago, which his family proudly continues to do. He will be remembered fondly for many years to come. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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At the outset, I join in the welcome to Anne and Amy here from Chicago. I welcome Billy's two sisters, Mary and Helen, his brother-in-law, Kieran, his family and friends, Maura Óg and Karl, as well as his former PA, Tracy Young. Indeed, I welcome Professor Niamh Brennan and former Senator Ian Marshall, whom I had the privilege of serving with and came to admire greatly. I also welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Ivana Bacik, and Deputy John Connolly. I welcome all of them to the Gallery. The array of people who have come to the Gallery speaks for itself.

In my few words, I propose to look first at Billy's extraordinary achievements, which are beyond anything average, and then I will talk a little about Billy the person and individual. Billy moved to Chicago in the nineties and became a champion of the undocumented and the weaker. While he was a very successful person himself, he was a champion of those who had less opportunity than him. For that work, he received the honour of the freedom of Galway and became a freeman of Galway, which is the greatest honour the city could have conferred on him. In 2016, he was appointed to the Seanad, which again was a huge honour and recognition of his work by the then Taoiseach, who himself had a particular interest in America, Irish-American relationships, etc. That was a very particular recognition.

As was stated earlier, he was a distinguished oarsman and sportsperson. He built a successful chain of pubs and restaurants with Anne in Chicago. On its own, that would have been a huge achievement. He won the presidential distinguished service award - another achievement – and received an honorary doctorate from, I assume, the University of Galway. He was recognised officially in academia and, if you like, in the political world. His business successes were enormous. He was a high achiever across the board, but one who wanted to lift others up with him. He cared about and wanted to do good for others. He was also the president of the Irish Vintners' Association at one stage. He gained recognition both in this country and in America. He was recognised throughout.

I might turn lastly and briefly to Billy the individual, which is really what we want to try to capture and celebrate today. As Senator Michael McDowell said in his beautiful words, we want to convey to Anne and family and make them aware of what we thought of Billy, what he meant to us and what he achieved. I have written just a few words. He was a true gentleman in all that means, in every sphere of his life. He was a very warm and friendly individual. He drew people towards him and he was empathetic. That is clear from his work with the undocumented and everyone else. He cared and he was charismatic. He had a very clear charisma about him, which drew people towards him.That feature would have helped his business success and would have helped all of his successes and make him effective as a lobbyist in America. He had unique human qualities and used them for good. Many people succeed in business in a material sense and are very happy to leave it at that. They may engage in a little bit of tokenistic charity now and again, but Billy went that whole stage further to lift everybody with him.

I was walking up the stairs with Senator McDowell to come to the Chamber and I said we often have had to make speeches and might have had to do a fair bit thinking about what to say. In this case it is a question of editing what you want to say. There is a well-hackneyed phrase that I will finish with but in this case, it fits so well. His likes will never be seen again. Ní fheicfear a leithéid arís.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the next speaker, I welcome to the Gallery the guests of Senator Nelson Murray: Councillor Louise Fenelon Gaskin, Kamat Pratiksha Prafullachandra and Walavalkar Salil Vijaykumar.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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Before I start, I wish to acknowledge and pay special tribute to three people who were very close to Billy. One is Councillor Anna Grainger, a very close friend of Billy's. It is great to see her in the Chamber. The two other people could not come here today: the former RTÉ political correspondent, Seán Duignan, and his wife, Maria. I know they are tuned in and were very special friends to Billy and Anne.

Coming up today I asked what could be said about Billy Lawless. I am a great believer in the phrase that to understand the man, you must understand the boy. As we all know, Billy Lawless was born in 1950. John F. Kennedy came to Leinster House in 1963. Think what the 12- or 13-year-old boy, Billy Lawless, the Jesuit-educated boy from Galway, thought about. The one thing Billy Lawless spoke about every day was John F. Kennedy. He had a love for Kennedy, an affinity for, understanding of and empathy for what Kennedy stood for in the broader sense of what Kennedy was about in terms of immigrants, migration, forced migration, and saying goodbye to your family and loved ones never to return. Many went to the United States and further. There was no land of honey or dreams there. Many Irish people faced resentment and rejection. Many of them were even turned back. Now we roll on and think what is happening again all over the world. Are we going to learn from that? My colleague Michael McDowell said it right. Billy Lawless was a gentleman. He was a humanitarian. He was an entrepreneur. He was neither left nor right, as so many people want to pigeonhole us. He was a man who brought humanity to everything he did and everything he wanted to do. We welcomed him with open arms into our very collective elected group, the Seanad Independent Group.

Today, I think of Kennedy again. This morning, I asked to go and see the Kennedy flag, the flag that John F. Kennedy brought to this House back in 1963. The flag was the battle flag of the 69th New York Volunteers - I will finish in a few moments on New York - an Irish brigade in the American Civil War. He gifted that flag to the Irish people in recognition of the contributions of Irish immigrants in the United States. That is a very special flag. That and our Proclamation are the two endearing and very special symbols in these Houses. A room has been opened that was specially designed for it. I hope that those in the Gallery may be able to visit it today.

I think about the young impressionable 13-year-old boy and Kennedy's visit to Ireland in 1963. Billy modelled his life on what Kennedy and others stood for. He addressed the issues of the undocumented Irish, the forgotten Irish, the ones who were rejected, the ones who had no driving licences and no identification, were working in the black market and were taken advantage of, and later on, the ones who wanted to return to their homeland and could not come because they had no documentation and Ireland was a changed place anyway.

Billy was a liberal and a humanitarian. He advocated for his people. He was deeply connected with his roots. He was deeply connected to and had a great affinity for the Jesuits, who had educated him. He was fiercely proud of that. He loved his family dearly, as Senator McDowell said earlier. We all know more about his family than they know about themselves because that was Bill's honesty. You get to know people when they are unique, empathetic and true to themselves. That was Billy in every sense of the word.

I then think of what has happened this week with the election of Mayor Mamdani in New York. Remember I said that the flag that Kennedy brought us was from New York. I quote one line from Mamdani's great speech in which he said, "New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant." That is a very moving thing. That is typical and it relates back to Billy and his commitment to immigrants, difference and the rich tapestry of diversity.

I salute our guests in the Gallery who were always there to support Billy. He was a proud man and he was proud of them. We were proud of him. He left an indelible mark on us. It has not finished yet. We owe it to his memory to continue to advocate for the undocumented Irish, to empower the Irish people, to be proud of our tradition of immigration but also welcoming difference from different communities and different people. That is our call. That is Billy Lawless's call, that we are open, we are human, we are loving and we are caring. Our doors are big enough to receive all and make them welcome: welcome in this House and welcome in this country. Billy Lawless left those seeds of hope, inspired us with that vision, and I believe we will continue to aspire to that in his name.

Conor Murphy (Sinn Fein)
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On behalf of the Sinn Féin group, I extend my sympathies to the wife and family of the former Senator Billy Lawless. I welcome those who have joined us in the Chamber. I am very pleased to see my old friend Ian Marshall back with us again, a very welcome visitor here and long may he continue to engage with us. I also acknowledge Billy's wider family in Galway and Chicago.

I did not know Billy Lawless personally. I have only been in this Chamber since the start of this year. I am indebted to Senator McDowell for illustrating the many aspects of his life, some that I was familiar with through my own inquiries but also many that people were not perhaps as familiar with. Any of my Sinn Féin colleagues I spoke to have related many instances where he had quietly and discreetly assisted people from all over the island who are members of our diaspora in America. His contribution there has been rightly recognised.

Although he secured US citizenship for himself, he did recognise a thing which is familiar to all of us, particularly those of us who have had the good fortune to travel not just to America but to other countries across the world, that precarious existence of people who are undocumented, that fear of the inability to properly live their lives, and to return home to reconnect with their families at times of great challenge at home. We have met many people who have told us such stories. I share Senator Boyhan's view that the great tribute we can pay to his memory is to continue that work on the undocumented and focus on the real challenge that people in America and other countries face. We should try to offer the type of support he did both in a public sense but in many instances in a very private understated sense as well.

His contribution to his native city of Galway and his adopted home of Chicago are immense and have been well outlined by those who have spoken before me and rightly acknowledged by many, including the outgoing Uachtarán na hÉireann. Those personal linkages and the connections that were made between people are the cornerstone of how we relate to our diaspora.I was very fortunate in the past couple of weeks to have been able to travel around Australia and meet many people, and I noted the experience is remarkably similar. There is always a go-to person in each area, and clearly Billy Lawless was a go-to person. Everyone who has gone abroad is indebted to people like him who offer support and advice and create an instant connection that makes them feel at home. Clearly, Billy provided that, not only in Chicago but also through his role representing the diaspora on behalf of all of us in this Chamber.

Billy has been clearly described by colleagues as a tireless advocate for the diaspora. His loss will be felt by many across the US who benefited from his support, particularly those in Chicago. The loss of Senator Billy Lawless will be felt most keenly by those who loved him and were closest to him. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I extend my deepest sympathies to them all. I regret that I did not get to know Billy in person and learn of his admirable qualities that have been expressed here today. On behalf of our group, I offer our sincere sympathies. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call Senator Frances Black, I welcome Deputy Brian Brennan and his guests to Seanad Éireann.

Frances Black (Independent)
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I, too, welcome all our visitors, including Billy’s wife, Anne, his family, Ian and Tracy, and, of course, Councillor Anna Grainger.

I am really glad to be honouring Billy Lawless today. He was an out-and-out gentleman. I have never come across anybody so good, kind and decent as Billy Lawless. He was a man whose life was a bridge between Galway and Chicago, between the old world and the new, between aspiration and action. Billy Lawless was more than just a restaurateur, public servant, beloved friend and family member; he was really and truly a beacon for the immigrant family, a champion of the undocumented and a steadfast advocate of the dignity and opportunity every immigrant deserves.

Billy’s life, as others have said, began in Galway. He grew from a young man who loved oarsmanship into a leader who really understood the power of community. That is what Billy really stood for. He carried with him the values of hard work, loyalty and a fierce belief in the possibilities that unfold when people come together to support one another. In Galway, as others have said, he was awarded a freeman’s honour, in recognition not only of his success in business but also of his service to emigrants and the ties that bind Ireland to its diaspora. Billy made a deliberate choice to plant roots in Chicago, a city that would become a second home and the stage for a remarkable, decades-long public life. He did not go to America merely to chase opportunity for himself; he went to build opportunity for others. He built restaurants that became community hubs. Think of how wonderful that was. He built gathering places where people could celebrate, reflect and rally around shared values. Through it all, he had business acumen and an eye for outstanding hospitality. His relentless work ethic helped many families to find steadiness and dignity in a challenging world. However, Billy’s work actually went far beyond all that. He knew that a city’s strength lies in its most vulnerable members and he dedicated himself to immigration reform and the rights of Irish emigrants. He co-founded Voting Rights to advocate for Irish emigrant voting rights in US elections. I was involved with this when Billy was here and was very proud to be.

Billy helped to forge strong links between Chicago and Galway, serving as co-chair of the Galway–Chicago Sister Cities committee since 1998. He believed in practical human-scale policy and clear, compassionate messaging. He explained the issues and inspired action.

Billy’s family, namely Anne, his wife of more than four decades, and his four children, Amy, Billy Jnr., Clodagh and John Paul, must be so proud of him. He left a legacy that ensures every day in households and the businesses that continue to run. To his friends, Tracy, and his colleagues in the Independent Group, I say we must remember how close all of you were to Ian Marshall. Billy gave the gift of friendship in abundance, and also warm hospitality, a ready story and a steadfast willingness to roll up his sleeves to get things done.

Billy was very good to my daughter when she was over in Chicago. She had a gig in Chicago and he rallied the troops to make sure there would be bums on seats for it. I will never forget him for that. He was also very good to me when I was in Washington running a charity event. He turned up at it, supported it and sponsored it. He was incredible.

In public life, Billy was the first Irish-American Senator for the diaspora, representing voices that often go unheard. He served with a sense of duty and curiosity, contributing to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence and representing the diaspora with diligence and pride.

If we measure a life by the impact it leaves on others, we will note that Billy’s life was a long, bright imprint. He championed the undocumented Irish with courage and clarity. He worked to strengthen the bond between Ireland and the United States and to build structures, institutions, organisations and, most of all, friendships that continue to support newcomers who dream of contributing to their new homeland as fully as he did.

We remember Billy as a gentleman to his core. As the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris has said, while we mourn his passing we also celebrate the enduring spirit he embodied – a spirit that shows that a community thrives when its members lift one another up, when business is about more than profits and when public service is a labour of love.

As Senator Boyhan said, let us commit to carrying forward Billy’s work in concrete ways. Let us support pathways for immigrant families to participate fully in civic life, including voting rights and fair access to opportunity. Let us strengthen ties between Ireland and our global diaspora through sister-city initiatives, cultural exchanges and economic partnerships that lift both sides. Let us provide mentorship, hospitality and opportunity for new arrivals who bring energy, talent and hope to our cities. Let us uphold the values of dignity, generosity and resilience that Billy embodied every single day.

Billy Lawless understood a simple truth: when we invest in people, we invest in communities that endure. He showed us that leadership is about steady, compassionate action, and about turning a vision into a doorway through which others can walk. Billy Lawless will always be in our hearts. I really want people to know that. He made a huge impression on so many people here in the Oireachtas. His legacy will continue to inspire us to build, with clarity and kindness, a world where every immigrant can contribute, belong and thrive.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I, too, would like to welcome Anne, Amy and the family members. I make special mention of Tracy. I also came in here in 2016, a little wet behind the ears, for the term of the famous confidence-and-supply Government. Our colleagues in the Dáil were pushing the abstain button. We did not have such a thing here, so we actually had a bit of craic, for want of a better word. We managed to get things like Good Friday drinking legislation through. We were on the other side of the House and Billy was here. The odd time there was something coming down the line, such as a division, our Fianna Fáil Cathaoirleach, Denis O’Donovan, would go missing, which meant Paul Coghlan – the Lord be good to him – had to take the Chair, meaning the Government would have one vote less. Our next target was Billy. Billy, having the courage of his convictions, had a great way of saying “I agree on the topic and am voting with you”, but he would always qualify that by saying “although I am very grateful to Enda for having appointed me”. He felt it lessened the sin of voting against the Government. However, those were different times and there was probably different politics, but I got to know Billy very well then and I really enjoyed his company.

When I first became a Member, my mother, proud of my being here, started to watch the proceedings on the television. She formed an opinion on all the Senators, a kind of league table. I will tell the Senators where they were on it some other day, but Billy was very high up. I can pay Billy no greater compliment than this: my niece decided to go to Chicago. Billy’s number was available and he told us all to contact him if there was ever anybody emigrating. My mother, being the granny, and my sister, being my niece's mother, were obviously worried about their girl going to Chicago. When I shared with them that I had given my niece Billy Lawless’s number, you could see the relaxation coming over them. Owing to the image Billy had portrayed over the television, they were happy and comfortable, and the worry was gone. Regardless of whether the number was ever used, the fact that she was armed with Billy Lawless’s number made them so comfortable at home. That says everything. I enjoyed a few evenings at the end of the bar with Billy. I learned very early in that relationship that I was far better served listening than talking. You could listen to Billy Lawless all night. Early on, when we were getting to know each other, he found out I was from Kilbeggan, which was one of the bottlenecks on the old Galway-Dublin road before the motorway. We had a good session with the conversation about his trips through all those bottlenecks, landmarks and all the different watering holes from Galway to Dublin. You could talk to Billy about anything but, as I said, you were better served by listening. I am glad I learned that early.

If I have one regret in life, it is that I never got to honour my invitation to Chicago while Billy was alive. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam uasal.

Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)
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I had not even indicated to speak. I will say to Billy's family, as a young person who has friends who worked for Billy in Chicago on J1 visas, I pay tribute to someone who advocated so strongly for the undocumented Irish. I only met Billy once when I canvassed for Senator Crowe for the 2020 general election. He was a very accommodating man. He was a very nice man at the door, which was the only time I ever got to meet Billy in person. I wanted to pay tribute to him. I had not even indicated to speak. I did not really know Billy very well personally, but he did a huge amount of work for the undocumented Irish. That needs to be remembered. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome Billy's wife and family. I met Clodagh in the Dearborn previously. She is with us here, as is former Senator Marshall, Deputy Connolly and Councillor Anna Grainger.

On the hospitality of the family, I was lucky enough to go to Chicago and enjoy a lot of their establishments when I was there. Billy had asked me on several occasions and I said I would take him up on it on a particular Paddy's Day, which I did. I was delighted I did and had a great experience. The thing that I remember most was the hospitality, the genuine decent person Billy was and the values he passed down to his family. They went out of their way and above and beyond to make you feel at home in Chicago.

The abiding memory I will have of Billy is being in the bar late one evening when an all-Ireland final was coming up. Billy had his couple of tickets through various connections in Galway and whatever else. A Limerick man had been there not long before telling me he could not get a ticket for a family member and all the usual you listen to. He probably knew I was involved in the GAA but I did not say much. Billy came in, we had a bit to eat and I told Billy the story. Anyway, a couple of weeks passed and I met the same Limerick guy in the bar. I asked if he got the ticket. He said he got two tickets at the last minute. I asked him how he came across them. He said I would never believe it, but Billy Lawless rang him, said he heard he was stuck for tickets and asked whether the ticket was for him. The man told Billy he had given his tickets away to a good supporter he had to give them to, and did not have a ticket to go. He said that Billy gave him two tickets to go to the all-Ireland final. He nearly cried in telling me. That is my lasting memory of Billy. It is a fitting one for a man who would give you the shirt off his back.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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It is with great sadness, in a sense, but also great pleasure I am here to say a few words about a person, Billy Lawless, I considered a true parliamentarian and a good friend. I extend my sympathies to Billy's family on their loss but they can take great solace from the fact that he lived a great life and did a huge amount in industry and business. I think his proudest time was his time here in the Seanad. He believed in equality and in treating everybody equally. He respected people irrespective of their background. I can speak very much on the whole area of disability because any time I ever had people with disabilities in here, Billy was always the first to talk to them to share his experiences, not just in this country but his knowledge from the United States.

Of course, when it came to anything to do with the United States, Billy was always our first port of call for advice. It was usually followed by knocking on the door of the Cathaoirleach. Billy had contacts everywhere. He knew people everywhere. He was a man who could get things done. He was somebody who respected politicians, respected public service and respected Ireland. He really endeavoured to leave behind him a better Ireland than the one he was born into.

Despite the fact he had developed very successful businesses in the United States, the west of Ireland and County Galway was always Billy's home. That was always where he wanted to come back to. Billy's family have lost a hero but he is somebody who will always be fondly remembered by those of us who had the privilege to serve with him in Seanad Éireann and by everybody in the House. All the staff in the House had a huge regard for Billy and continue to speak very fondly of him. It is a privilege to be able to speak in the Chamber as part of the tributes to Billy.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I also welcome to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. He is most welcome to Seanad Éireann for these tributes to former Senator Billy Lawless.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome Anne and the extended family. I know Tracy worked with and looked after Billy so well down through the years. It is good see former Senator Ian Marshall again. I also welcome the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

I had the pleasure of serving here with Billy from 2016 to 2020. We had an old family connection in that my father served in the Licensed Vintners Association with Billy. They were very good friends down through the years. When I first started here, at the same time as Billy, he said to me, "You are a daughter of Bobby's. We have to look after you". He was so welcoming and so kind. He was always so courteous and cordial to everybody. It did not matter whether he did or did not agree with you. Billy loved to have the conversation and to have that balanced chat.

I spent a number of years staying in Buswells Hotel and before that in the Mont Clare. Billy stayed there as well, so we often hit reception at the same time, maybe in the evening, and Billy would say we would have to have nightcap and a chat. We continued the conversation about whatever happened here during the day, but also about other things. I have to say that his renditions and his stories about life in Ireland and also life in America were absolutely wonderful. As Senator Paul Daly said, he was a fantastic man to listen to and to learn from. He really was.

I remember, when he was appointed by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny, he said to me, "Well, you know I was Fine Gael but I am kind of independent now, but sure we will see how it goes." I thought that was a great start. Confidence and supply was going on at the time and there were one or two times when I think the people sitting to my left may have been voting against the Government. Gabrielle McFadden was the then Government Chief Whip and she had to ask Billy could he ever go missing for a little while. Once or twice he did so discreetly; Members might not have noticed but he did.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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We noticed.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I certainly have very fond memories of Billy. His first cousins were the Kellys from Ardrahan, Brian Kelly and his family, who now live in Limerick. I remember when Billy was appointed, they were all so proud of the fact that he was a Galway man living in America who was being appointed as the Senator for the diaspora. He did an amount of work with undocumented people and trying to get them recognised. It is really important we remember him for the Trojan work he did.

I never took Billy up on his offer of a visit to Chicago. It was just mentioned that somebody was in trouble and Billy was to the forefront in trying to help people. His kindness to everybody right across the House, but also to anybody who ever came in contact with him, will be remembered forever and a day.

As I come from a publican background, Billy asked me to sign the document on drinking on Good Friday.At the time, the Government was not really supporting it so it was difficult. However, we did support it in the end, which is the main thing. Billy certainly put huge work into that. As I say, he will be remembered by all. I am grateful that he touched my life over a number of years. He will be fondly remembered. It is a pleasure to be here today.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the Leader, I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery the Minister of State for the Irish overseas and the diaspora. It is most appropriate that he is with us as we finalise the tributes to former Senator Billy Lawless, given the Minister of State's role in the Oireachtas and Billy Lawless's great service to the Irish overseas and the diaspora.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator McDowell and the Independent Group for bringing forward these tributes. As Leader, I was happy to facilitate holding these tributes to the late Billy Lawless. I welcome Anne, Amy, Helen and Mary to the Visitors Gallery. I also welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, Councillor Anna Grainger, Ms Tracy Young, who worked with Billy, and all his family and friends.

I have a short note from the former Leader of the Seanad, now Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, who is abroad. He has asked me to express his admiration for Billy's services and work on behalf of the diaspora, but also his genial and collegial qualities as a person. As a Government Leader, I always found him to be a great colleague to work with on issues.

I have also reached out to a number of former mayors of Galway city and good friends of Billy's. They include Brian Walsh, who is a close family friend, going back to the time of his father Paschal. He was also a councillor. He remembers the invite to the White House. Of course, he went over to the tributes at the funeral in Chicago. Former mayor and Councillor Pádraig Conneely also remembers Billy's involvement, together with the Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, in ensuring that Mr. Conneely, as mayor of Galway, received an audience with President Obama in the Oval Office. Councillor Frank Fahy was a neighbour from Menlo. He says that Billy was a great member of the community in Menlo. He was active and positive, and will be dearly missed. Former mayor, Councillor Eddie Hoare, remembers the great welcome he received from Billy and all his family when he was visiting Chicago as mayor in 2023. Those are the words of some of the former mayors of Galway.

As we know, Billy was a freeman of Galway. He had gone to Chicago before I got involved in politics so I would not know him as closely as some of the aforementioned people in Galway. From what I knew of him and the many times I would have met him, and from what I had known him before that from his involvement in the Twelve Pins hotel and all that, he was dynamic, gregarious and a larger-than-life figure. He had a varied career. He started as a top-class dairy farmer on the outskirts of Galway city and went on to become an astute businessman. He moved to Chicago, and not as a young man. I am sure there were people who said at the time he was mad - perhaps Anne was among them, I do not know - to up sticks and move to Chicago. It was a tribute to the fact that he was willing to take that risk and chance. He made a mark for himself.

Many people reached out to Enda Kenny at the time. I certainly made a phone call recommending that Billy Lawless take a seat in the Seanad. I cannot remember who I engaged with before that but I did reach out to Enda Kenny at that time. Enda said privately that one of the most difficult decisions he had to make as Taoiseach is picking 11 people as Seanad nominees because there is plenty of demand and all of that. Billy was privileged to get that call and, as I said, I am sure there were plenty of other people who advocated on his behalf.

Billy is best remembered for his work in relation to the undocumented. I am not sure, or maybe I am sure, what he would think of the present situation. Only this week, I was dealing with a local lady who contacted me on behalf of an undocumented Irish citizen, who is married to an American and they have a baby, who was picked up by ICE, moved around different parts of the United States and eventually deported. I am not sure what I was going to be able to do about that except reach out to the consulate. By the time I was able to get involved, he had been deported. Billy's work for the undocumented is still necessary and relevant today.

I want to remember Billy as a gentleman. We remember his involvement with Fine Gael before he moved to Chicago. As I said, I did not know him particularly at that time but he would have been highly regarded. Whatever he took on, he did with great energy and gusto and gave it his all. I remember and pay tribute to him here today in my privileged position as Leader of the Seanad and as a Galway man.