HUNDREDS OF people visited Government Buildings in Dublin and the Civic Offices in Athlone, Co Westmeath, yesterday to sign books of condolence for the late Brian Lenihan.
In Dublin, a steady trickle of people came in ones and twos throughout the day to pay tribute to the former Fianna Fáil minister, who died on Friday aged 52.
Some of those who came to pay their respects were Fianna Fáil supporters. Others said they were anything but. Almost all said they admired his honesty and the way he continued to work during his 18-month battle with cancer.
“I wouldn’t have been a supporter of his party at all but I thought that he showed admirable courage in the situation that he was put in,” said Dymps Carton from Clonskeagh.
“I’m sorry really that he was so entrenched in Fianna Fáil and couldn’t spread his qualities over the other parties.”
Fianna Fáil organiser and former TD Seán Sherwin said people in and around the party were shocked at the sudden nature of Mr Lenihan’s death.
“ a brilliant man with great experience of political and legal sides,” he said.
Geraldine Plunkett, from Glenageary, said Mr Lenihan took on “an impossible job” as minister for finance and refused to give up even in the face of serious illness.
Derry and Mary O’Donovan from Sandymount said they had known Mr Lenihan for 30 years and that while highly intellectual, “he was very down to earth despite a privileged upbringing”.
“These things were probably in his gene pool but he was just a very nice guy,” Mr O’Donovan said. “Brian is gone now and Garret went a couple of weeks before him. Both are getting the same public response. If the guy is held in the same esteem as Garret is held in it shows what standing he had, even at a time when Fianna Fáil is in difficulty.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Kieran Molloy said the Lenihans were synonymous with Athlone: “People in Athlone would have known the father very, very well and they would have known Brian.”
Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy has opened a book of condolence in his Mullingar constituency office to cater for those outside Athlone.