I am delighted to be here this evening to launch Pádraig Faulkner’s memoirs. We are indeed fortunate to see the publication of this important book by one of Fianna Fáil’s most distinguished sons. It contributes greatly to our understanding of politics in 20th century Ireland and the social and economic transformation of our country.
We are honoured to have Pádraig and his wife Kitty with us here this evening. Pádraig’s entire career sums up what is best about Irish politics and he has given great service to Fianna Fáil and the people of Ireland, especially those who reside in his home county of Louth.
His distinguished political career spans the entire spectrum of Fianna Fáil’s history. Pádraig is one of my Party’s most respected elder statesman having first stood as a Fianna Fáil candidate in a by-election as far back as 1954. Pádraig also holds the rare distinction of having served in the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party under every one of our first four leaders.
The finest tribute I can pay Pádraig tonight is to say that through his long years of exemplary service to the Irish people, he has repaid in spades the faith and confidence invested in him by some of Fianna Fáil’s most legendary political figures.
And Pádraig’s abilities were not just recognised by his party. He is a man respected across the political boards. I myself, was a young Deputy, in October 1980, when I witnessed Pádraig being unanimously elected Ceann Comhiarle and receiving fulsome tributes from the opposition leaders, Garret Fitzgerald and Frank Cluskey.
This book aptly titled “As I Saw It”, is Pádraig’s own story of his life and times in politics. However, it also charts the social progress this country has made in tackling the appalling levels of poverty which were so widespread in Ireland for so long. I was particularly taken by Pádraig’s distressing account of the poverty he saw in my native Drumcondra in the late 1930’s while he was training as a teacher in St. Pat’s and was active in the St Vincent de Paul. Padraig wrote:
“It was only when I joined a branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society in the college that I realised what real poverty meant. Social welfare payments were almost non-existent at that time and in one house 17 families lived there, each occupying a single room. I used to visit a family every Sunday morning and present them with dockets for food and clothing. They lived and slept in a basement room and none of the family was employed… living in circumstances where the putrid air made it very difficult to pass over the threshold.”
“Dublin in the Rare auld Times,” it most certainly was not.
Pádraig’s description of his initial encounters with Eamon de Valera on the bye-election hustings are also revealing. They highlight the Chief’s meticulous attention to detail, his courageous determination and the level of preparation he put in to counter his deteriorating eyesight. Pádraig recalls and I quote:
“During the by-election campaign I occasionally traveled throughout the constituency with Eamon de Valera. He was an awesome figure in his long, dark coat and black hat. There was little small talk. The Taoiseach sat in his car thinking about his speech for the next public meeting and, because of his poor eyesight, requesting his aide de camp, Colonel Brennan, to read short passages from the printed copy. After each passage was read de Valera continued to think and he finally delivered a word perfect speech.”
While de Valera was instrumental in persuading Pádraig to run for the Dáil in the 1957 General Election, in which he was first elected, it was that other great stalwart of Fianna Fáil, Sean Lemass, who first appointed Pádraig to office. This took place following the 1961 General Election when Pádraig, who has a life-long love of our native language, was appointed Parliamentary Secretary with special responsibility for the Gaeltacht.
In his book, Pádraig gives an amusing and revealing account of his first promotion to high office. He recalls that on the day Lemass was making his appointments, his colleague Paddy Lalor, told him the Taoiseach was looking for him. Pádraig thought that this was a wind-up and refused to go to the Taoiseach’s office unless Lalor accompanied him to the door of the office to prove the request was genuine. Pádraig recalls that it was not until Lalor had bundled him through the door of the Taoiseach’s office that he realised he was actually in line for a job.
In all seriousness, however, Lemass’s appointment of Pádraig Faulkner was clearly a ringing endorsement of his abilities because Louth, as a small constituency, was strongly represented at the cabinet table by no less a personage than the then Tánaiste, Frank Aiken, a man de Valera had once described “as the greatest living Irishman”. Indeed, the trio of Pádraig, Aiken and Senator Joe Farrell were an unbeatable team for Louth and meant for a long period the “wee county” was the most ably represented constituency in the entire Oireachtas.
As Minister for the Gaeltacht, Pádraig was a dynamic Minister and he set about the job of bringing industry and employment to the Gaeltacht which was in keeping with Lemass’s policy of moving away from self-sufficiency to free trade.
In 1968, following the cabinet reshuffle precipitated by the premature death of the legendary Donagh O’Malley, Pádraig was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Lands. Under Jack Lynch he subsequently served as Minister for Education, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Minister for Tourism and Transport.
In each of these portfolios, Pádraig was at the heart of many of the key decisions that saw the gradual transformation of our economy. It would take all evening to list Pádraig’s many ministerial achievements so I am going to dwell on just a few that I consider as particularly far-sighted and inspirational.
As Minister for Education, he was faced with and delivered upon many of the practical problems arising out of the decision to pursue free education, such as the need for more teachers and more school transport.
As Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, he took the far-sighted decisions to introduce legislation to establish two commercial semi-State companies, An Post and Telecom Éireann. He also began a communications revolution by insisting Ireland catch up with the rest of the EEC and expand our telephone density which at 15% of the population was the lowest in Europe and was holding up investment and opportunity in this country.
As Minister for Transport, Pádraig took the brave decision in the face of much criticism to proceed with the DART. Pádraig writes with a justified sense of vindication in his book, and I quote:
“I must admit it gives me great pleasure, even now, to travel on the DART and to remember the struggle for its acceptance and the final outcome. In later years I was happy to be told the number of passengers had reached over 15 million a year.”
I think I can empathise exactly with how Pádraig feels especially when I learnt that the LUAS would carry 20 million passengers this year!
Pádraig served in Mr. Haughey’s first Government as Minister for Defence before taking up the position of Ceann Comhairle. In volatile political times, he was a cool head, who always conducted himself with great dignity and characteristic integrity.
I want to heartily recommend Pádraig’s book to anyone with an interest in politics or our history. For almost 30 years, Pádraig Faulkner was at the cutting edge of Irish public life and set an unsurpassable standard of honesty and delivery. He is indeed a true patriot! In conclusion, I want to congratulate him on a remarkable book but this is hardly surprising given that the author is a remarkable man.
Well done Pádraig and I wish you many more years of active retirement.
Thank you.
ENDS