TRIBUTES:THE MacGILL Summer School paid tribute yesterday to former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and former minister for finance Brian Lenihan, both of whom were former contributors to its deliberations.
Recalling his friendship with Dr FitzGerald, senior Fine Gael adviser Frank Flannery said: “To me he was a political leader like none other.” He had a “tremendous sense of social agenda” and an Ireland that was not dominated by any particular religion. “For me he was a total inspiration,” he said. Fine Gael was very proud and also extremely fond of Dr FitzGerald.
“He never lost his love for the party or his huge interest in what we were doing,” he said. Irish Times columnist and former Fianna Fáil activist Noel Whelan said he had been fortunate to have been very close to Brian Lenihan for the past 10 years or so.
Mr Lenihan frequently came to his house at the end of his day’s work. His first visit to MacGill was about five years earlier to talk about Northern Ireland. He had “just loved” being minister for justice, like his father, Brian snr, before him. When asked by Brian Cowen to become minister for finance, he went into University Church to reflect on the fact that his “life would never be the same again”. His strength in communication was his best achievement in the major challenge of that job.
He foresaw the political collapse of Fianna Fáil but his political advice to his colleagues was not taken up.
Mr Lenihan had been “genuinely touched and excited” to be asked to speak at the Michael Collins commmoration at Béal na mBláth, Co Cork, last year.
Fianna Fáil Senator Averil Power read Francis Ledwidge’s Lament for Thomas MacDonagh.
