Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I also want to be associated with all the expressions of sympathy to the family of the late Senator Farrell. My friend and colleague, Senator Ellis, would have had a more detailed political involvement with Willie Farrell than I would. That was because Leitrim was reunited with Sligo in 1981 when John Ellis was elected to the Dáil. Willie Farrell was larger than life and his name was synonymous with the north-west. I will not add to all the great detail of Willie's life, but I wish to endorse everything that has been said.

He was a great friend to us all, as well as being a tremendous contributor to Seanad debates. In addition, he was a wonderful family man. It is fitting that Councillor Patsy Barry should be present in the Public Gallery today, as Willie Farrell's successor in Grange. He continues to make a contribution in the north-west.

Senator Feeney referred to Willie Farrell's travails on the Seanad election trail. As we know, however, a book has yet to be written on Seanad election campaigns, but we will all buy it when it appears. There are many stories about Willie, and I will cite two briefly. One concerns three Senators, including Willie, who were in a lift in Leinster House on the way to their offices. I will not name the other two in order to spare their blushes. One Senator said to Willie: "By the way, I have got those rugby tickets for you". Nothing else was said until much later in the bar when the other Senator said: "I always wondered who that particular Senator voted for, but now I know, because of the tickets".

The other story concerns a practice of giving pens, that has largely died out now. I am not referring to Senator Francis O'Brien in this context because this was long before. Willie went to the house of a councillor who said how delighted he was to have received one of those writing instruments. Willie looked at it rather closely and said: "I am not so sure that you are in good standing with that". The councillor asked "Why is that?", and Willie said, "I know that he gives gold biros to his number ones". As those of us in the Seanad will know, that immediately ended any relationship with those who had an ordinary biro, and Willie immediately got the number one vote. Of course, there was no exchange of biros involved with Willie. That was the sort of man he was - larger than life.

References have been made to his grandchildren and I am sure that they will miss him as much, if not more so, than anybody else. On a previous occasion when there were expressions of sympathy, Senator O'Toole said that grandchildren can have a much warmer rapport with their grandparents than the generation in between. I know they must still be missing their grandfather, Willie Farrell, whose company we enjoyed both in the House and outside it.

I endorse everything that has been said about this wonderful Irishman, patriot, community activist and family man. He was an all-round good person. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I convey my condolences to Seamus, Liam, Helen and their extended family.