Tony Gregory’s death - A man true to himself

TONY GREGORY, who died yesterday at the age of 61, was the quintessential community politician.

A former teacher, his election to the Dáil was a testament to his community work.

He burst onto the national political scene when he seemed to hold the balance of power after the first general election of 1982. He indicated that his support was available at a price. What he was seeking was not for himself but for his community. Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald and Fianna Fáil leader Charles J Haughey both engaged in negotiations with him.

He eventually concluded a formal deal with Mr Haughey. This was signed by both of them, and independently witnessed. The actual value of the deal could have been worth more than £100m on inner city projects, depending on how long it ran, but the Government only survived for seven months.

In 1986 he went to jail because of his support of the inner-city street traders. He stood up for them and they never forgot his support. While incarcerated in Mountjoy one of his visitors was Charles Haughey. After one further night in jail in 1987 he was freed by the High Court and he became a kind of legend in his own lifetime. He was forthright and brave in his denunciation of the drug dealers who blighted inner-city Dublin.

In an era of political cynicism Tony Gregory was true to himself and his community.

Ní fheichimid a leithéid seo arís!