Joanna Byrne
Louth · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Irish artists and writers have given their labour, blood, sweat, tears and dreams to creating something uniquely human - songs, stories, music and paintings that mean so much to many - only to see their labour being fed to AI systems without their consent and without being financially compensated for their loss.”
“A couple of days before my tenth birthday, I came home from school to once again find my mother beaten to a pulp and our home smashed to pieces. The bravery of my mother that day changed the course of our lives forever.”
“The basic income for artists scheme was only made permanent after it proved it could boost the economy. Many of our beloved cultural events are based on Irish artists having the backing to be able to hone their craft and share their art.”
“As a nine-, eight-, seven-, six- and five-year-old girl, I used to sit at the top of the stairs and pray to hear my mam scream or cry because it was the only way I knew she was surviving another beating.”
“We have the Presidency at the Council of the EU for the next six months and this is the opportune time to act. Whether by accident or design, putting protections in place has been non-existent or has been moving at a snail's pace.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion on protecting the copyright of Irish artists in the era of artificial intelligence. It is important to note this is a nuanced and targeted motion to protect Irish artists across the entire spectrum of the arts.”
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“The basic income for artists scheme was only made permanent after it proved it could boost the economy. Many of our beloved cultural events are based on Irish artists having the backing to be able to hone their craft and share their art. What would the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann look like if we allowed AI-generated music to subsume our native music? This celebration of Irish culture, attended by hundreds of thousands of people year in, year out replaced by a computer in a corporate office overseas. I do not think any of us wants to see that, and that is why this motion is crucially important. I commend my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, on his tireless lifelong campaigning for the arts and the great work he has done in compiling this motion, working collaboratively across the House to ensure it passes this evening.”
“We have the Presidency at the Council of the EU for the next six months and this is the opportune time to act. Whether by accident or design, putting protections in place has been non-existent or has been moving at a snail's pace. Artists have been left out in the cold when it comes to being able to properly make representations or engage on policy direction, as there are no representatives from the arts sector on the AI Advisory Council and the AI Office of Ireland. This motion seeks to remedy that, and there is a real urgency in the need to rectify this. For a State that is rightly proud of producing so many world-renowned writers, musicians and artists, and which has acknowledged their positive contribution to the Irish economy, this State has been slow to protect their rights to make a living.”
“Irish artists and writers have given their labour, blood, sweat, tears and dreams to creating something uniquely human - songs, stories, music and paintings that mean so much to many - only to see their labour being fed to AI systems without their consent and without being financially compensated for their loss. This is theft, this is piracy and it is not acceptable. If left unchecked, it will rob Irish artists of the ability to earn a living and will replace them with a cheap soulless imitation. Irish artists need this House to protect the copyright and income of artists with a fit-for-purpose framework, building on the calls of the European Parliament. They need us to ensure no State funding for art is spent on content produced by AI, and to place the creative sector at the heart of decision-making when it comes to AI policy.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion on protecting the copyright of Irish artists in the era of artificial intelligence. It is important to note this is a nuanced and targeted motion to protect Irish artists across the entire spectrum of the arts. It is not an attack on AI as a whole, which we know has its uses where appropriate. The AI systems and databases are hungry beasts that have to be continuously fed huge amounts to learn. Unfortunately, they have been fed the copywritten works and intellectual property of artists around the world, including Irish artists.”
“I urge the Minister, though, for the sake of the next victims and survivors and in the memory of the women who did not make it, to accept the amendment, increase the timeframe that retains somebody on the register for longer than three years and, crucially, ensure there is no evasion of entry onto this register in the first place through any sort of plea bargains.”
“A documented history of domestic violence is a strong indicator of future behaviour and serves as a protection to women right around this nation. While I acknowledge that we have come some way in the 30 years since we had to flee from our home, I still believe we need to do more in terms of preventions and supports but this welcome measure with regard to a domestic violence register is reassurance for women with concerns and offers some comfort to women in a society of ever-evolving domestic and gender-based violence.”
“As a nine-, eight-, seven-, six- and five-year-old girl, I used to sit at the top of the stairs and pray to hear my mam scream or cry because it was the only way I knew she was surviving another beating. The only crime she committed in suffering that monstrous abuse was to fall in love and trust the man she married, the father of her three sons, and trust him to protect her and our family and not batter the life out of her. We were lucky. My mam was unbreakable. She is a survivor and we are a family of survivors. Not everybody is so lucky. As I speak today, I think of Jennifer Poole, whose brother Jason prompted this legislation in the name of Jennie's law in the aftermath of Jennifer's brutal murder by someone she too once loved. We in Sinn Féin support the introduction of a domestic violence register.”
“A couple of days before my tenth birthday, I came home from school to once again find my mother beaten to a pulp and our home smashed to pieces. The bravery of my mother that day changed the course of our lives forever. With the aid of a social care worker, we were brought to a bed and breakfast before we moved to the women's refugee in Galway for a number of weeks while waiting for a longer term placement as the first family in the new women's refuge in Navan, which opened a couple of months later. My mam, the strongest warrior I know, left with four children and only the clothes on her back, bottles and nappies for my three brothers, who were toddlers at the time, and a Boyzone album on cassette, which was my birthday present. I know first hand the impact of domestic violence on women and more broadly on families.”
“Core products such as mail, Department of Social Protection payments, Billpay and National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, services are all declining and despite the huge reduction in transactions at post offices over the past decade, postmasters are still paid per transaction and are not paid a salary. In 2022, Grant Thornton did a bottom-up analysis of the post office network, which found that the network needed €20 million in funding. The Government would, I believe, need to get EU approval for that. To ensure a viable post office network for generations to come, the Minister of State should look at the possibility of making that a reality. For today, however, we welcome the advancement of the Bill.”
“Despite this, the Government is yet to commit to a structured, multi-annual investment that would safeguard these services for the future. Sinn Féin has made that commitment. As the Minister of State will know, in June last year, the future of the post office network was discussed at the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Culture, Communications and Sport. What we heard form the postmasters was a stark warning to all on how precarious the position of many postmasters, especially in rural post offices, are in. Without this support, postmasters warned us, 40% of post offices would close. With the increase of funding to €15 million, 70% of the postmasters' union members could envisage a viable future.”
“Our party's 2023 and 2024 alternative budgets set out detailed proposals to safeguard the future of the network and we have continued that in our most recent alternative budget. We did not put a time limit on our support, as the Government has, and I urge it to take a similar long-term approach. Post offices are often the last remaining public service in rural towns and villages across the State. Last year, the Irish Postmasters' Union, in its pre-budget submission, said the funding is not just good value for money but is "essential to sustaining vital public access points in communities across Ireland". Post offices play a proven and irreplaceable role in supporting social cohesion. They serve both rural and urban economies, offering critical services and access for older people, vulnerable citizens and marginalised communities.”
“I welcome the advancement of this Bill. It aligns with Sinn Féin's policy of supporting the post office network and matches the critical investment of €15 million in funding we pledged in our alternative budget last year. For this reason, Sinn Féin will not be proposing any amendments. It is heartening to see collective agreement that the post office network needs to be supported everywhere, and in particular in rural areas. I will highlight, however, that the Government funding pledge ends in 2030, after which there is no plan. That creates a concern. Sinn Féin has long supported a new public service mandate for our post offices, backed by strategic investment in an expanded range of services and better conditions for postmasters.”
“We need to support parents and invest in childcare, both in its provision and in the educators who deliver this service to our communities.”
“When I asked what was proposed in these plans for County Louth and what additional supply was proposed for areas of disadvantage in the Drogheda and south Louth areas, the response I received stated that no final decisions had been made on specific projects, but that the Minister looked forward to sharing details of projects as they were agreed. It has been six months and there have been no details or additional places. Stock responses and soundbites do not help parents sitting and waiting on this. They are an absolute insult to the dedicated professionals who are working and struggling to keep the lights on and doors open. I call on the Minister to get real when it comes to the burden this is having on families.”
“Natalie told me she does not want to have to choose between her being a mother and working, and she is already significantly disadvantaged in the workplace with regard to income and advancement opportunities. Lisa told me she has no option other than to stay working full-time just to make ends meet, but childcare places locally are a huge barrier to that continuing. Another couple at their wit's end told me they are both teachers who depend entirely on stable, affordable and reliable childcare, and that it is shocking to see dedicated professionals like them being pushed to the breaking point by Government policy failure. In January, the Minister announced a proposal to purchase buildings that will provide childcare facilities.”
“Families in Louth have heard multiple announcements from local government representatives, but no meaningful action to deliver the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael election promises of €200 per month childcare in the first 100 days of Government has come. Childcare is not a luxury and it needs to be given priority in investment. We have more than 29,000 families with children in Louth, and almost 7,000 of those families have a child under the age of four. In sharp contrast, we only have 113 childcare providers, with 46% of these estimated to have a waiting list. We have parents waiting for places that just do not exist. The Government claims that improving access to quality and affordable early learning and school-age childcare is a key priority for Government, but the reality for parents I meet is very different.”
“It was a proud day for the wee county, a proud day for this State, and a sign of our more positive and more progressive times. However, there are still many challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community such as youth homelessness, mental health, violence and healthcare. These are all things on which we need to redouble our efforts to address. Pride seeks to address those issues as an unbelievably happy and positive social justice movement. It is actually quite unique. Everyone who supports Pride should be proud of Pride.”
“In my first year as a Louth county councillor in 2016, I cut the ribbon to officially start the first Pride celebration in Drogheda and did so for many years afterwards. I have marched in Pride parades, I have attended events, and I was and am keen to show our LGBTQI+ family, friends and neighbours that modern Ireland is friendly, welcoming and accepting. It has also been a great honour of mine to support the Dundalk and Drogheda Outcomers and the Drogheda LGBTQ Social and Support Group in many ways over many years. They do phenomenal work in supporting the LGBTQ community in Louth. Their hard work, along with huge teams of political and non-political canvassers, including us here in Sinn Féin, drove Louth to a 63.5% yes vote in the May 2015 marriage equality referendum.”
“That is why the joint Opposition Bill, originally sponsored by the now President Catherine Connolly, the Disregard of Historic Offences for Consensual Sexual Activity Between Men Bill 2025 is especially important. It is an example of a broad church of Opposition parties working together to correct a historic wrong and a stark injustice perpetrated on the gay community. It is testament to Pride that this Bill is on our legislative agenda here in the Dáil. However, it cannot and should not be left to this House to speak up for Pride and for gay rights. Pride parades in every county, city and town should be supported. As a straight woman, Pride is a movement that is close to my heart.”
“It is almost unfathomable to me that homosexuality was illegal in my lifetime. That is why these statements on Pride are important. Even though gay rights have come a long way in a truly short period of time, we must be reminded that it is, in fact, a short period of time. Just like in previous decades, there are those out there who would row back on gay rights, ban Pride like they did in Orbán's Hungary - an EU country - and drag this State back to the Dark Ages. We must now and always speak up on Pride, support Pride, educate people on what Pride means and on what this State was like before Pride. We still have work to do to heal some of the sins of the past.”
“I welcome these statements on Pride and the chance to talk of where it began in Ireland and where we are now. Pride began in response to the darkest of crimes. It has now grown into a beacon of light, positivity, progressiveness and inclusivity. Pride, a banner that previously criminalised and marginalised, is now one that cohorts of people can stand behind together full of colour and hope. The first Pride parade in Ireland was in 1983 in response to the homophobic murder of Declan Flynn in Fairview Park in Dublin. There were earlier smaller marches but this was the first Pride parade. It beggars belief that it took another decade and a case at the European Court of Human Rights brought against this State in 1988 by former Senator David Norris for the 1993 Act that gave us the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland.”
“-----road locations, with an estimated overall reinstatement requirement of €3.61 million. In all my years dealing with Louth County Council, it has always gone through the proper channels, but for the council to call on TDs and Senators to publicise the need for additional Government funding highlights the dire situation.”
“I received a letter from Louth County Council, which I did not expect, requesting urgent support in securing Government funding to assist the council in addressing the extensive damage caused to the county's road and drainage infrastructure following Storm Chandra. The scale of the damage across the county is significant in both urban and rural areas, with the council recording 69 road closures and 81-----”
“The Government's inaction on dental services leaves those languishing on waiting lists either in pain or in significant debt. Either way, they have been completely failed. The cost of the Minister's neglect of this issue will be felt for decades. Action is long overdue on the dental care crisis in this country.”
“Another constituent needed extensive dental work as a direct consequence of domestic violence. She was told that advanced restorative treatment is not provided to medical card holders and that no assistance is available to help meet the costs of private care. Parliamentary question responses provided to me in recent months have stated that the capacity of the service is based on available resources. There are limitations to clinical capacity, we are told. Data shows ongoing service pressures, reduced staff levels and declining levels of oral health assessments. This is not news to anyone trying to access services or to those providing services. It surely cannot be news to the Government. This has not happened by accident. Rather, it is a direct result of underinvestment, failure to plan and a hands-off approach by successive Ministers.”
“That is a nine-year wait and it beggars belief. Half of primary school children are leaving school without ever having received a screening appointment. Consultant orthodontic vacancies have been unfilled since 2024 in Louth. The total number on school dental screening waiting lists in the county continues to increase year on year. A total of 2,800 children were waiting to be seen and 718 were waiting for orthodontic treatment at the end of 2025. Although this is detrimental to the children in question, it is not just children who are affected. Miriam, a widow in her late 70s with a full medical card, needed to have her dentures replaced as they were too large for her mouth. She was in pain and could not eat properly. Facing exorbitant waiting times, she had to borrow money to the tune of thousands of euro to get the care she needed.”
“Week in and out, my constituency office is inundated with people trying to access dental and orthodontic services. The population in Drogheda and south Louth is growing faster now than it ever has before but vital services are not by any stretch keeping up with the population growth. In fact, they are getting worse under the Minister's watch. The number of dentists working under the dental treatment services scheme in Louth dropped between 2019 and 2025. There is huge population growth but the level of service provision is declining. The number of children waiting for dental treatment under the primary school dental checks scheme can only be described as scandalous. One parent told me her daughter has been on the list for braces since fifth class. She is 20 now and has never received the public care she needed.”
“It adds unnecessary stress and anxiety to what is an already difficult decision and sometimes in awful, harrowing circumstances. Nobody makes the decision to access a termination lightly and removing this mandatory three-day wait will not stop anyone who wants to take more time to make their decision. Removing this unnecessary wait period is the right thing to do and instead of offering isolation, we would be offering compassion. Women deserve dignity, women deserve respect and, crucially, women deserve trust - trust to make that decision for themselves in their own time about their own pregnancies without a mandatory delay.”
“At a time when we watched women's rights and autonomy being eroded in other parts of the world, activists young and old took pride in playing their part in reclaiming their bodies and rights here at home. Now, more than six years on, we know that forcing women to wait for a mandatory three-day period is having a negative impact and that it is a barrier to accessing the same compassionate care people voted for. To the best of my knowledge, a three-day waiting period enshrined in law does not apply to any other medical procedure, yet here we are this evening debating the removal of a mandatory wait that is applied to women's healthcare. The waiting period does not provide care. It leaves women exposed, isolated and vulnerable.”
“I am immensely proud to have played an active part in campaigning to repeal the eighth amendment. I had so many people share their very private and personal experiences with me on the doorsteps in Drogheda and the wider parts of my county. Activists of all political hues joined together under the banner of Together For Yes. We asked voters to trust women and we asked them to support providing compassionate care at home. We met daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers from all walks of life who had their own harrowing experiences of being forced to travel, forced to borrow money and, crucially, being forced to wait to access terminations. In my home county of Louth, 66.5% of voters said "Yes" to repealing the eighth amendment.”
“The Minister of State’s response is positive. I cannot ask for more than that. I ask that he keep the matter on the radar as we begin the consultation for, and the implementation of, a new sports strategy. If he bears it in mind, I will be happy to work with him in that regard.”
“I am asking this question because activities such as chess are not recognised as sports in Ireland. Chess is recognised as a sport in 24 of the 27 EU member states and in over 100 countries worldwide. It is recognised as a sport by the Olympic movement, which holds its own chess Olympiad. After football, chess is the most widely played sport in the world. It has been played for over 1,500 years. Chess has great health benefits for the ageing by stimulating the brain and has multiple benefits for children taking up sport. I am asking the Minister of State to agree to a change in wording of the definition of "sport" to allow chess to become a sport. This could have multiple benefits for bridge and similar games. It is a small change that could make a massive difference and have a huge impact on chess players right around the nation.”
“History, including his own party’s history, is lost on the Minister of State. There is a precedent in this State of us taking a stand when it comes to sport. It is wrong for him to stand there and tell me that it is unprecedented. That is factually incorrect. He is a Fianna Fáil Member and he should know this. He should talk to his previous Taoiseach. There is absolutely no justification for it. What he is saying this morning, what he said on Tuesday night and the script he handed to his colleague to say to Deputy Gibney on Wednesday morning is absolutely shameful and there is no justification for it. I think deep down he knows that because otherwise he would not have sat at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on sport to say he would not attend these fixtures but yet he expects our national team to line out and attend them.”
“In standing up and saying he will not attend these fixtures all he is doing is putting that pressure and that burden on our footballers. Inevitably, if this goes ahead, our footballers will have to make a conscious choice individually or collectively as a team as whether they should fulfil this fixture and it is not fair. The Minister of State had an opportunity this week to empower the FAI and to support the FAI. So, I do not buy all this back tapping for the FAI. The Minister of State had an opportunity to stand with the FAI, to stand with Irish football and to stand with our Irish football team but he chose not to. Shame on him.”
“I am delighted the Minister of State has learned a new word since Tuesday night-Wednesday morning. In the response which the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, gave to me on Tuesday night and which was carbon-copied by the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, on Wednesday morning, the word "genocide" never featured at all. It is great that he has learned that word in the past two days. Even though he has now acknowledged there is a genocide and obviously understands what a genocide is, he still cannot grasp the magnitude of what this means to the Irish footballing community. They do not want this match to proceed. They do not want to normalise sports-washing. Ireland playing Israel normalises a genocidal regime and gives cover for statute violations, for apartheid and for war crimes.”
“The Minister of State will appreciate these questions were submitted before the recess and before the Government's shameful response to the two Private Members' motions on the Ireland and Israel fixtures this week. In spite of that, a response is warranted from the Minister of State to the Irish football community and Irish footballers as to why it is okay for him and the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to publicly state they will not attend these fixtures, yet they will shoulder that burden onto our footballers and ask them to choose between what is right and wrong, and lining out for their country and playing the game they love.”
“The crux of the issue is not where the game should be played but who is participating in the fixture. As we debate this tonight, the people of Gaza endure starvation, bombardment, displacement and unimaginable human suffering. Does the Government's conscience allow it to continue with and encourage business as usual? I know that mine does not. I have stood proud and true to the courage of my own convictions on this issue from day one. These fixtures should not proceed.”
“Sport will thrive, national confidence will grow and the Government could be on the right side of that. For a small country, we are a mighty force when we come together. Will the Government join us in ensuring that we stop the games or will it turn its back on Irish football and our national team and hide on the sidelines? Our call is quite clear. It is not to move the game but to simply stop it.”
“Its slaughter of footballers and bombing of football pitches cannot be accepted or normalised. Front-line Israeli soldiers with blood on their hands lining out against our national team cannot be accepted or normalised. We need to stand firm on the consensus that sportswashing cannot be accepted or normalised. Ireland playing Israel normalises a genocidal regime and gives cover for statute violations, apartheid and war crimes. The narrative from the Government is around sanctions, implications and consequences for the FAI should it refuse to fulfil these fixtures but with the right support from the Government, the FAI could be empowered to take a moral stance. Rather than damaging the association, I guarantee it will enhance it and its standing.”
“All of the Government's flip-flopping as to whether it will stand up and be counted heaps pressure on the boys in green - who just want to play football, might I add - to make a personal decision between right and wrong and whether their own moral conscience will allow them to participate in such a fixture. It leaves them exposed and vulnerable and no player should ever have to carry that burden. We are offering the Government the opportunity tonight to show real leadership. We are also calling on it to uphold its own obligations under international law. This is bigger than sport or football matches. Sport has the power to send a very strong message of morality. Israel actively uses football to sportswash its image and to extend its territory, while also committing genocide and implementing apartheid.”
“The Government is all over the place on this issue. First, it supported the matches proceeding. Then it washed its hands of it and said it was a matter for the FAI. Then, embarrassingly for the Government, both the Minister and the Minister of State publicly declared that they will not attend the matches, not because they have any moral qualms or want to show respect for international law but because they have realised there is major discontent around the country and it will, inevitably, reflect poorly on them. An Ireland Thinks poll commissioned by Irish Sport for Palestine released today shows that 56% of Irish people surveyed do not want this match to proceed.”
“The Sinn Féin motion calls on the Government to support the calls of the Irish footballing community to stop the games on legal and moral grounds and to pave a clear pathway forward for the FAI to do the moral thing and refuse to participate in the Nations League fixtures against Israel. These calls are supported by the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland and the Irish Football Supporters Partnership, trade unions, the vast majority of Irish football fans and, crucially, by members and stakeholders of the FAI itself. In November, 93% of FAI members voted to instruct the association to call on UEFA to suspend Israel from international competitions. As recently as May, FAI general assembly members secured the numbers to call an emergency general meeting to vote on Ireland's participation in these fixtures.”
“There is a history in this State and in world football of participating in boycotts of nations that violate international law and sporting statutes. We know from apartheid South Africa that the sports boycott was instrumental in bringing apartheid to an end. The international boycott of apartheid South Africa and the swift exclusion of Russia and Belarus by these sporting bodies sit in stark contrast to the current silence and inaction regarding Israel's egregious violations. It screams of double standards and hypocrisy and it legitimises occupation through football. It is abundantly clear that the Irish people do not want these matches to proceed while the Palestinian people are enduring genocide, occupation and apartheid.”
“Despite UEFA and FIFA being in contravention of their own rules, there are no sanctions and no expulsion because they are both serving their own political interests by cosying up to the US and Israeli governments. Sport cannot be separated from justice and humanity. We have an opportunity now to take a stand, activists, civil society and politicians alike. Anybody who says there is no place for politics in sport neither understands politics nor sport. Not only do we have an opportunity to take a stand, we have an obligation as politicians and community leaders to make a stand because we are elected to act with morality. We cannot sit on the sidelines and watch sporting bodies act selectively according to politics favourable to their own interests.”
“As somebody who was born into a football family, who took my first steps on my beloved club's football pitch and who was hand reared around my local football club, I find it completely incomprehensible that anybody believes our national team should line out against the terrorist state of Israel while this genocide is ongoing. The fact is that Israel should not even be in the Nations League competition. UEFA should have expelled it as soon as it went into Gaza on a genocidal, ethnic cleansing mission that has seen tens of thousands of innocents murdered, including hundreds of sportsmen and women. Israel should have been sanctioned long before that for its breaches, with clubs in illegal settlements built on lands stolen from Palestinians.”
“People all over this country, every week, in their tens of thousands, proudly play and watch football in their communities and treasure every moment of it, yet this is denied on a daily basis to those in Palestine and Gaza. At least 1,008 athletes, players and sports officials have been killed in the genocide, and close to 300 sports facilities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been destroyed by Israel. There is no sporting infrastructure left. Stadiums are obliterated. At least ten Israeli football clubs are known to be located in the occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of the ICJ advisory opinion of July 2024 and Article 64.2 of FIFA's statute.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — the findings of major international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Palestinian human rights organisations, that Israel operates a system of apartheid against the Palestinian people; — the ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territories, the expansion of illegal settlements, restrictions on freedom of movement, collective punishment, and repeated attacks on civilians in Gaza and the West Bank; — the 2016 United Nations (UN) resolution, which reaffirms that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to a two-state solution; — the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024 entitled "Legal Consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem", which determined that Israel's settlement policies, annexation and exploitation of natural resources violate International Law, and mandated Israel end its occupation, dismantle settlements and pay reparations to the Palestinian people; — the Prevention of Genocide 2024 and 2025 provisional measures issued by the ICJ, that concluded that Palestinians are at risk of irreparable damage and ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts that fall under the UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and to comply with international humanitarian law; — that FIFA's statutes prohibit member associations and their clubs from playing on the territory of another member association without that association's approval, Israeli clubs based in illegal West Bank settlements continue to play under the Israel Football Association within the territory of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), without the PFA's consent, and thus contrary to this rule; — that UEFA, as a confederation, is obliged to comply with, and enforce, FIFA statutes and decisions; — that at least 1,008 athletes, players and sports officials have been killed in the genocide, and close to 300 sports facilities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been destroyed by Israel; — that at least ten Israeli football clubs are located in occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of the ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 2024, and Article 64.2 of FIFA's statute; and — Israel's policy of mandatory military service means that team members may have fought with the Israel Occupation Forces when war crimes were committed; further notes: — the historic role sport played in isolating apartheid South Africa, and the importance of sporting boycotts in challenging systems of racial segregation and oppression; — FIFA and UEFA banned Russia in 2022, in response to the decision of the football associations of Czechia, Poland and Sweden to refuse to play Russia in international competition, and no action was taken by FIFA or UEFA against these associations for refusing to play Russia, thus setting a clear legal and moral precedent; — the UN International Convention against Apartheid in Sports (1985), which recognised that sporting contacts with apartheid states undermine international efforts against racial discrimination and oppression; — that in November 2025, 93 per cent of Football Association of Ireland (FAI) members voted to instruct the Association to call on UEFA to suspend Israel; — in May, FAI general assembly members secured the numbers to call an Emergency General Meeting to vote on Ireland's participation in the football matches; — the growing support across Ireland for the "Stop the Game" campaign, calling on the FAI to refuse participation in international fixtures against Israel, while violations of international law and apartheid policies continue; and — the strong tradition of solidarity in Ireland with oppressed peoples and anti-apartheid struggles internationally; recognises that: — sport cannot be separated from fundamental questions of human rights, equality, and international law; — Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, affirms every child's right to play and participation in sporting life as integral to their dignity and development, and that the systematic killing of child athletes and destruction of sporting infrastructure in Gaza therefore constitutes not only a violation of international humanitarian law, but a direct and catastrophic assault on the fundamental rights of Palestinian children; — under the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights, all business enterprises, including sport's governing bodies, have a responsibility to respect human rights', and FIFA and UEFA have each voluntarily committed to meeting this responsibility by incorporating the UNGPs into their statutes and governance frameworks; — allowing normal sporting relations with states accused of apartheid, and grave breaches of international law, contributes to the normalisation of oppression; and — Irish sporting bodies, and the Irish Government, have moral and political responsibilities to uphold human rights standards and international law; believes that UEFA and FIFA should uphold their stated human rights commitments and suspend Israel from international football competitions, until it complies with international law and human rights obligations; and calls on the Government to: — support calls from the Irish football community, which includes the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland and Irish Football Supporters Partnership, for the FAI to refuse to participate in the proposed matches against Israel, scheduled for September 27th and October 4th, in protest on legal and moral grounds; — uphold its obligations under international law to not engage in economic or trade dealings with Israel which may entrench the illegal occupation by implementing meaningful legislation and sanctions, and this extends to sporting and cultural life within illegal settlements, i.e., settlement football clubs, because engagement contributes to the normalisation of occupation and apartheid; — support the application of the principles contained within the UN International Convention against Apartheid in Sports to states operating systems of racial domination and oppression, and to sign up to this Convention; — deny any Israeli football players and staff, Israeli officials, including Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Makhlouf Zohar, and President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, and Israeli fans who have participated in violations of international law, entry into Ireland; — agree to cover the costs of any financial penalty that the FAI may incur through refusing to play the games; and — send copies of this motion to the FAI, UEFA and FIFA.”
“While I recognise and welcome the many positives in the Bill, I urge the Minister to reflect on the positives that he has omitted from inclusion in the Bill, positives that would not only have strengthened the Bill, but unified the House in its drafting, consideration and implementation for the good of all of our people, North and South.”
“Anyone who knows me knows that I want to work in collaboration with people around me for the greater good, and that has been the case since I first went onto Louth County Council in 2016 and right up to this very day. The work done in the pre-legislative scrutiny of this Bill at the committee was a fine example of people with quite different mindsets working in collaboration with each other and agreeing a common way forward. That should not be forgotten, and it should not be pushed aside at a whim. It is the Minister's choice, of course, but he needs to make that a considered choice.”
“I also raised it in my closing speech because it was not referenced in Deputy Feighan's response. Again, today, despite that, there is no mention of it in today's presentation. That is deeply disappointing. I also take issue with the Minister choosing not to progress recommendation 3, where the committee recommends that the Bill include a specific timeframe of dates for the commencement of its provisions. That the response of ministerial discretion will be retained in commencing the Bill does not inspire confidence that this will be enacted. All we want is a timeframe for things to happen. Waiting for the Minister to hit the right frame of mind or mood is not an adequate, effective or transparent method of governance. It is par for the course for this Government, but it is not good governance.”