Paschal Donohoe has resigned in the Dáil as a Fine Gael TD and used in his final speech to appeal to Tánaiste Simon Harris to look after libraries as a public service.
The former minister for finance, who is taking up a job at the World Bank in Washington DC, said libraries “are cradles of decency” and “beacons of light in a world in which things are changing so much”.
“And we should be proud that we are in a country that values them, that invests in them, that recognises the value of reading, recognises the value of a place that offers us solitude and community at the same time,” he said.
Mr Donohoe said he was “certain” that the progress “made in recent years in our economy, which I believe is real” would “only be built on and further improved” by his successor in the Department of Finance, Mr Harris.
RM Block
He called on the Tánaiste to “keep one public service in particular in mind – our libraries".
“I’m very proud of the investment that we have made through or local authorities in recent years, in the funding of and the opening of new libraries,” the outgoing Dublin Central TD said.
Mr Donohoe said he had “asked the Tánaiste if he would just reaffirm the support of the Government to continuing this investment” and to continue to “prioritise this vital public service upon which so much depends”.
He offered his thanks to his constituents for supporting him since he was first elected in 2011, the staff of the Department of Finance, the Budget Oversight Committee and the Dáil, who “make it a parliament that we are proud to serve in”.
[ What is Paschal Donohoe’s new €410,000-a-year job at the World Bank?Opens in new window ]
He said it had been “a complex and tough week” for his staff, who he thanked for “all they have done for me to allow me to do the work that I’ve been trusted and privileged to do”.
He thanked Leas-Cheann Comhairle John McGuinness for being “relentless” but always fair and he wished all TDs “happiness, health, and success” as they represent their constituents.
There was sustained applause from across the House as Mr Donohoe sat down.
Mr Harris said, to laughter, that he “never quite thought that there would be a day when Paschal would ask me to spend more money”.
He told Mr Donohoe it was “ so fitting on your last day that you’re talking to us about borrowing, but now about borrowing books instead of borrowing money”.
The Tánaiste noted that during his various ministries Mr Donohoe had supported library projects “whether that’s in Kinsale, Virginia, Macroom, Trim, Castleblaney, Thomastown”.
He reminded the outgoing TD that it had been 5,364 days since he made his maiden speech.
“That day you talked about diversity, you talked about stability, you talked about addressing the banking crisis and creating jobs,” he said.
[ The five crunch issues facing Simon Harris as Minister for FinanceOpens in new window ]
“In the subsequent days, before you ever became a minister, you contributed frequently, thoughtfully, philosophically and with immense knowledge and understanding. You’ve stayed entirely true to your values over those thousands of days.”
Mr Harris quoted one of Mr Donohoe’s favourite authors, Timothy Snyder, and a book the former minister had given to him about being a patriot.
“’A patriot wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained’,” he said.
“‘A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well, and wishing that it would do better.’”
He told Mr Donohoe: “Paschal, you have been nothing if not a true patriot.”
