Tom Fitzpatrick RIP
It is with deep sadness that I heard of the death of Tom Fitzpatrick, who served as a distinguished parliamentarian for over two decades, not to mention his decades of service as a member of Cavan Urban District Council. I send my heartfelt condolences to Carmel, and his children, as well as to his brothers, nieces and nephews.
You only had to meet Tom Fitzpatrick once to realise that here was a person of immense stature and integrity. He was a man cut from a different material to other politicians. For one thing his intellect placed him on a higher plane than many others who have pursued the high calling of politics. Tom pursued this path according to the highest standards, motivated by selfless ideals. He did not see politics as a means of enriching himself, but as a means whereby he could enrich society through the value of his contributions to it. Cavan will be a lesser place without him. Indeed it has suffered greatly since his retirement, especially at the level of local government. As he was his own man he would not have treated with deserved contempt the little Caesars who infected Cavan's local government in the 1990s. He was a public representative who was worthy of the name, and worthy of representing the people.
It was disappointing that the geriatric and decrepid peacock, Rory O'Hanlon, who currently holds the office of Ceann Comhairle (Speaker of the lower house of the Irish Parliament), could not have had the decency to attend the funeral. He was no doubt carefully attending to the partisan circus into which he has turned parliamentary debates. He doesn't care what message he sends to the constituents of Cavan and Monaghan, as he will be automatically re-elected at the next election. He is the father of Ardal O'Hanlon, better known to the world as Fr Dougal Maguire in "Father Ted". It is hard to think of a father and son who are more dissimilar. Dr Rory was for many years a general practitioner, and no doubt like many Monaghan doctors cared more about his patients' spiritual health than their physical well-being.
You only had to meet Tom Fitzpatrick once to realise that here was a person of immense stature and integrity. He was a man cut from a different material to other politicians. For one thing his intellect placed him on a higher plane than many others who have pursued the high calling of politics. Tom pursued this path according to the highest standards, motivated by selfless ideals. He did not see politics as a means of enriching himself, but as a means whereby he could enrich society through the value of his contributions to it. Cavan will be a lesser place without him. Indeed it has suffered greatly since his retirement, especially at the level of local government. As he was his own man he would not have treated with deserved contempt the little Caesars who infected Cavan's local government in the 1990s. He was a public representative who was worthy of the name, and worthy of representing the people.
It was disappointing that the geriatric and decrepid peacock, Rory O'Hanlon, who currently holds the office of Ceann Comhairle (Speaker of the lower house of the Irish Parliament), could not have had the decency to attend the funeral. He was no doubt carefully attending to the partisan circus into which he has turned parliamentary debates. He doesn't care what message he sends to the constituents of Cavan and Monaghan, as he will be automatically re-elected at the next election. He is the father of Ardal O'Hanlon, better known to the world as Fr Dougal Maguire in "Father Ted". It is hard to think of a father and son who are more dissimilar. Dr Rory was for many years a general practitioner, and no doubt like many Monaghan doctors cared more about his patients' spiritual health than their physical well-being.
posted by Ciaran Parker @ 8:59 AM
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