Some 9,000 people signed books of condolence for Brian Lenihan in his Dublin West constituency at the weekend
A TRICOLOUR hung heavily on its flagpole inches from where a man stooped over the book of condolence, his face creased with emotion as he paused to search for the words before finally penning his thoughts to paper.
To his left the late Brian Lenihan, the former minister for finance, stared up from a framed picture taken at Béal na mBláth in Cork last year, the first occasion on which a senior Fianna Fáil figure delivered the keynote oration at the annual Michael Collins commemoration. “His proudest moment,” his constituency secretary for 15 years Marian Quinlan recalled fondly as members of the public filed into Mr Lenihan’s constituency office in Castleknock, west Dublin, on Saturday to express their condolences.
She told of how she and other staff at the office had taken great strength from the constant stream of people. “We were supposed to open at 1 o’clock but I came in at about quarter to 12 and they’d started to come in behind me. I hadn’t even set up and they were coming in.”
At 6pm as the office was due to close the flow was still steady and the decision was taken to stay open until after Mass in the nearby church in Castleknock.
After filing out of the office the crowds mingled and shared memories: old friends and fellow politicians, party members and those who had never voted Fianna Fáil, neighbours and constituents, young and old, Irish and foreigners. The atmosphere was that of many an Irish wake: sorry at the passing but celebratory of the life.
Kate Varley, a long-time friend who was inspired to join a Fianna Fáil cumann having met Brian Lenihan 14 years ago, had been there for five hours: “One part of me says I should really go home but the other part of me really wants to be here among people. It is such a sad occasion. I think we all feel that we lost a friend; the country lost an excellent politician but most of us here just lost a friend.”
Another to count Mr Lenihan as a friend, Pat Canavan told of his shock and sadness. “He was a marvellous character and, right across party lines he was a very popular man so that was the least I would do today was to come up and sign,” he said.
For some the emotion was too much. “I just feel he was a great statesman,” Eva Duggan said, her eyes filling as the words choked her. “I’m just so upset. I wouldn’t follow his party but I think he crossed all parties and I was just very struck by his death . . . I hope in some way will convey to his family how much he meant to people.”
“I just admired the man,” her husband Coleman added. “I think it’s a pity that we’ve lost Declan Costello and himself and Garret FitzGerald in the one month but it’s a good reminder to us there are some good people in Irish politics.”
Many travelled to be there. One woman rang the office from Cork entreating that it remain open until she could travel up to sign the book of condolence. Geraldine Nugent travelled from Summerhill in Co Meath. She said: “I just had great admiration for him, he was an extremely strong, courageous man. I’m very sorry to see him gone – he’s a great loss to this country.”
James Doyle from Wicklow, a young Fianna Fáiler who met Mr Lenihan, talked of his ability as a politician. “In recent years with the bailout and the tough mess he had on his hands I think he dealt very nobly and cleaned up the mess of others where others would have walked away from it. He did put his country first. People will disagree over the decisions he took but he never seemed to act in anything other than in the interests of the country.”