Political world united in tributes to Hillery
Former President succumbs to a short illness, aged 84, after a lifetime of service to his country
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TRIBUTES poured in last night from across the political spectrum for former President Dr Patrick Hillery, who died in Dublin yesterday morning aged 84 following a short illness.
President Mary McAleese, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and numerous other leading figures in Irish public life hailed the late Dr Hillery's myriad achievements over a political career which spanned 40 years.
President McAleese spoke in poignant terms on the passing of her predecessor, describing how Dr Hillery had approached his impending death with a "lovely accepting dignity" which she had found personally as "uplifting to see".
Remarking on the life of Dr Hillery and his achievements as a politician and his qualities as a person, President McAleese said: " He was a great patriot, a great public servant, an extraordinarily humble man, a man who never, ever looked for any kind of recognition but certainly was deserving of all of those things because of a long, long career in so many different areas. The other day when I talked to him about the great changes over Ireland in recent times, he was so proud of them and so proud to have been part of the fabric of building those things up."
On a personal level, she said: "He had a great love of life. He approached his impending death exactly as you would expect with that same lovely accepting dignity. He was just very very accepting, incredibly serene. He had just a lovely quiet serenity about him. It was lovely to watch and really very uplifting to see."
Offering his condolences to the late President's wife Maeve, and son John, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said Dr Hillery's career summed up what was best about politics and public service. He said the former President would be assured an honoured place in Ireland's history for the massive contribution he had made to the progress of the country.
The beginning of that process to honour the late Dr Hillery will take place this week with a full State funeral.
While no formal details of the ceremony were released last night, it is expected that Dr Hillery's removal will take place to Dublin's Pro Cathedral on Tuesday with burial to follow on Wednesday.
A TD for Clare for the 20 years between 1951 and 1971, Dr Hillery also served as Minister for Education, Minister for Industry and Commerce, Minister for Labour and Minister for External Affairs. In 1973, he was appointed as Ireland's first European Commissioner, serving in the role until 1976 when he was appointed President following the resignation of Cearbhall O Dalaigh.
Of his political achievements, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern singled out Dr Hillery's accomplishment of bringing Ireland into the EEC as "a defining moment for Ireland and a truly historic decision" from which the country was still benefitting from today."
"For 40 years, Dr Patrick Hillery was at the cutting edge of Irish public life and set an unsurpassable standard of integrity and delivery. He was a true and unassuming patriot who in his time made a noble contribution to the well-being of our country. He will be sadly missed," Mr Ahern added.
Former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald described the late President as "one of the most constructive politicians of the second half of the last century".
Dr FitzGerald had other significant and more abiding memories of the former President too.
Recalling the controversy surrounding his request to the then President Hillery to dissolve the Fine Gael-Labour Government in 1982, he described the circumstances of his visit to Aras an Uachtarain, the details of which would return eight years later to sunder the presidential campaign of the late Brian Lenihan.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1, Dr FitzGerald said: "When I arrived [at Aras an Uachtarain] I was told by one of the people working with Dr Hillery, one of the Aide de Camps I think, there had been eight phone calls from people in Fianna Fail whose names were mentioned to me at the time, trying to tell him to refuse a dissolution to me.
"I went in then to the President , and he was very angry that these people should badger him in this way. In fact, it took so long for him to calm down that some people thought the length of our meeting meant that he was refusing the dissolution. He was just giving out about Fianna Fail and what the politicians had done. Of course it was perfectly proper for people in Fianna Fail to ring up and say they could form a government. But these people ringing up eight times was not a sensible thing to do."
While permissible under the Constitution, the phone calls by Fianna Fail members to the President would, in 1990, serve to scupper the presidential campaign of the late Brian Lenihan when he admitted in a thesis interview with UCD political science student Jim Duffy and later in his "mature recollection" interview on RTE news that he had been one of those who had attempted to call Dr Hillery at the Aras in 1982.
Mr Lenihan's embarrassing admission saw him withdraw from the presidential contest and sacked from the cabinet by then Taoiseach Charles Haughey. The late Tanaiste's friendship with Dr Hillery endured however, and was recalled yesterday by Mr Lenihan's son, Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan.
Speaking on RTE Radio's Marian Finucane Show, Mr Lenihan said: "He was very close to my father. My father's father came from the same part of County Clare as Paddy Hillery so there was a sort of a natural bond between them because of that. There was close personal bond between them and a close political bond between them."
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon O Cuiv recalled that it was his grandfather, Fianna Fail founder and former Taoiseach and President Eamon de Valera, who had persuaded Dr Hillery to enter politics, when he got him to run as a candidate in their constituency of Clare in 1951.
Mr O Cuiv said of Dr Hillery: "He had a very close relationship with my grandfather, and I know my grandfather had a great regard for Dr Hillery. I got to know Dr Hillery when he was President. He was very, very capable, yet one of the most unassuming people I ever met."
Health Minister and Acting Progressive Democrats leader Mary Harney said the list of Dr Hillery's achievements during his political career was long, but as President of Ireland he had showed his greatest loyalty was to the Constitution of Ireland.
Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny paid tribute to Dr Hillery as "a great statesman, an accomplished politician and a true patriot".
- RONALD QUINLAN
