Mattie McGrath
Tipperary South · Independent · Ireland
“The loss of the double child benefit payment and other cost-of-living supports has come at a time when families are facing rising bills across every aspect of daily life. Parents are not just paying for education. They are paying more for food, energy, insurance, childcare and gach rud eile.”
“Parents also face substantial bills simply because they are required to buy specific items from a specific supplier. That is not fair and is not a balanced market either. There is no good reason that generic uniforms or PE clothing cannot be used in most cases.”
“Maidir le hUisce Éireann, cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan uisce? The situation in south Tipperary has reached crisis point. Since January, the Ardfinnan regional water scheme has experienced 58 water supply interruptions, affecting 11,000 customers, while almost 28,000 homes and businesses were placed on a boil water notice in a single week.…”
“Music education is a perfect example. Some schools provide excellent music programmes and opportunities for students to learn instruments and participate in assemblies. Other schools offer very little.”
“I, too, am glad to be able to speak on this motion today. I compliment Páirtí an Lucht Oibre for introducing it. While we often the cost of education in terms of books, uniforms and transport, the reality for many families is that the financial pressures associated with rearing children have never been greater.”
“They say it would be great to have water to be affected by a hosepipe ban. Uisce Éireann is totally out of control. Two weeks ago, the Tánaiste gave me some hope here that the Government might do something. Uisce Éireann is not acting for anybody.”
The complete record
Every one of 636 lines we hold for Mattie McGrath, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 11 of 13.
“Deputy Maurice Quinlivan - To discuss organised crime in Limerick city, the resources needed by the Garda and the additional steps needed to interrupt drug gang activity. Deputy Catherine Callaghan - To discuss the impact of Uisce Éireann infrastructural deficits on housing projects in Carlow-Kilkenny. Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss dangerous and unsafe working conditions in the ambulance station in Drogheda and the removal of rapid response vehicles. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss the ban on the use of mid-urethral mesh slings in treatment for urinary incontinence in women. Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the ambulance service in County Clare and the impact of shift changes.”
“Deputy Edward Timmins - To discuss individual county council house building targets from 2025 until 2030 and actuals from 2020 to 2024. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss accommodation options for young people leaving care in Dublin Central. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin - To discuss extra special need places in schools, utilising schools that are due to close at the end of this school year. Deputy James Geoghegan - To discuss the extension of the Luas to Poolbeg. Deputy Brian Brennan - To discuss the Government's plans for national enforcement of measures and incentives to combat widespread dereliction. Deputy Joe Neville - To discuss the lack of SEN places made available in secondary schools in areas of growing population like Kildare North.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss rural planning guidelines, area plans and family homes. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss driver licence reciprocal arrangements Deputy Eamon Scanlon - To discuss the daily transport charge for people with disabilities using day services in Sligo and Leitrim. Deputy Paul Lawless - To discuss the waste water treatment plant in Newport, County Mayo. Deputy Marie Sherlock - To discuss the exclusion of mainstream classes in preschool from special educational needs, SEN, support. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the introduction of a youth culture card as promised in the programme for Government.”
“That is a fair point. Deputy Coppinger came to me and asked me. I allowed people in but they have taken too much latitude. If anybody wants to ask a supplementary question, he or she is going to have to confine it to 30 seconds at the most. I understand that is the fair procedure. I understand Deputy Coppinger's situation.”
“I have called numerous times for them to be stood down and responsibility given back to the county council. Some Deputies might say I have gone away from speaking on the Bill. This is an issue to do with water. As Deputy Gogarty said, people should get a fair and reasonable supply of water and, after that, there should be a charge for what is wasted. At present, businesses are paying for water coming in and going out and it is not fair on them. They pay it - they have to pay it - and that is fine; they use a lot more of it. The situation is that water supply in many parts of the country, as well as the sewerage and wastewater systems, leaves an awful lot to be desired. The entity we know as Uisce Éireann is a failed one, set up by Phil Hogan, that has not served the public and I do not believe it will succeed.”
“Some of the retiring workers told me that, six months before they left, they offered to show the people taking over where all the valves were and to help them to understand the network, but the lads in Irish Water said "No" to that offer. Now, with the representatives and everything else, you are talking to people who are doing their jobs but they do not know the system or where the weaknesses and strong points are. Fundamentally, they are not listening, and is mór an trua é. Níl siad ag éisteacht le héinne. Last night, there were ten members of Irish Water who spoke to us for two hours about consolidation. That was the great word they used. They had all these buzzwords but I honestly have to say they do not understand what they are doing, and that is the fundamental problem.”
“That is apart from the fact we had a very wet summer in Clonmel last year but, all through the year, day-in, day-out, there were outages of the system, which was fed from three sources - Glenary, Poulavanogue and at Moyle Rovers at the north of the town. The Ardfinnan regional water scheme comes into the west of the town as well. It is so hard to deal with Irish Water on the ground. Tipperary County Council, South Tipperary County Council and Clonmel Borough Council had a wonderful network of supervisors. They knew every pipe, stopcock and air valve. The lads in Irish Water do not to know and would not engage with people who were retiring.”
“The businesses and households in Clonmel will not know what hit them when this water comes on stream in September or whenever Irish Water is going to connect it. It is doing all the facilitation works at the moment. The people of Clonmel will not know what hit them. There will be damage to all the equipment. We will see what will happen to kettles and other utensils, whatever about the fine machines and high-spec technical machines for cooking and baking - you name it - in all the restaurants, hairdressers and everything else. There will be enormous problems. Irish Water refused point blank to put in a softener at the plant, at source. It could do so as there is plenty of space for it, but it will not. It still expects businesses to pay for this water, however, and it is going to do damage. There are going to be unbelievable issues.”
“My office is on this supply, as is the whole centre of the town. That supply never had a boil water notice on it. Irish Water now tells us now the EPA wants higher standards. The EPA wants ridiculously high standards. First, I would describe the disconnecting going on up there as an act of vandalism. It is a wonderful supply that should be kept. There is a reservoir in the Rag Well that Irish Water says is leaky and it is doing an examination on it. This could be filled from the scheme so as to have as an extra back-up. Irish Water is depending on a pump to pump all the water into Clonmel. It is going to pump it up to Giant's Grave to fill a reservoir that was constructed there some years ago, but we are depending on a pumping system.”
“This borehole does not have an infinite life and is subject to outages because of power cuts. It was out for three or four days two months ago as a result of unexplained outages. Irish Water is spending €21 million to bring in this water and give it to all of the town of Clonmel. The town of Clonmel has been serviced by the Glenary and Poulavanogue schemes. They are both based in County Waterford but that is how the system is set up; County Waterford is on the other side of the river. The Poulavanogue scheme was built by the British. It is an excellent and wonderful mountain stream supply. The treatment plant there was maintained for decades by Tommy Hartigan and other Tipperary council employees, or Clonmel corporation employees at the time. It was looked after and nourished. The supply flows down the hill into Clonmel.”
“The fact Irish Water is now going to pipe water from the River Shannon to Dublin is something I strongly oppose. It would be going up to a leaky system where the water can be contaminated. Anywhere the water can leak out, pollutants can leak back into the system. It is madness to think Irish Water would not look at doing those repairs. A golden opportunity was missed during Covid to do that kind of work when the streets and roads were quiet. Irish Water says it wants more cash. Last night in Clonmel Park Hotel, my colleagues and I met a team from Clonmel who told us how they are bringing in water from Monroe. This is a hard water system, which the north of Clonmel already has, and the lime in the water from the borehole is crippling families and businesses.”
“I too am glad to be able speak on the Bill. Ar an chéad dul síos, I wish to say that my company does work for Irish Water. We used to do it for county councils and it was then transferred over to Irish Water, which is an entity I do not have any faith in. It has no understanding of the serious problems we have. As the previous speaker mentioned, water is going to be very scarce this year. We can see the rivers and streams are low so early in the year. There will be water outages and everything else but we need to tackle the waste of water by consumers and Irish Water. People ring up to try to report leaks. It is frustrating to see such big leaks. The wastage of water in this city is outrageous. More than 40% of the water is wasted. We are among the worst in the world for it. Some Third World countries are not as bad.”
“It is very important work; it is not all cutting grass. There is a lot of work in schools, on GAA pitches, in all kinds of services for the elderly, daycare facilities and all those centres. They need those people to be able to continue, if they want to continue. If they want to retire, fine, but we must look at that anomaly. The workforce is limited. Where we have people who enjoy their work, love their work and are well involved and able to do their work, we should leave them where they are happiest, keeping occupied and also providing an excellent service. I commend this legislation and wish it well on its passage through the House.”
“If the Ceann Comhairle will allow me, community employment schemes are a vital part of our communities. I am cathaoirleach of our own scheme, the BN&B scheme, in Newcastle and Ballymacarbry in Waterford and Tipperary. We are short now five or six places and cannot get employees. We are the best of people. We have the Aherlow Fáilte Society at the moment, and the wonderful Glen of Aherlow tourist office. A woman there is being forced to retire. She wants to continue working. She is playing a vital role in the community. It is good for her, the community and everything else. We are pleading with the powers that be. Thankfully since Covid, the people in social welfare have given rollovers and extensions to our members. Long term, it is not feasible. The schemes will not stay going. The community work will not be done.”
“There is an acute shortage of part-time drivers for people to go to special needs schools and also school runs. The ironic part about it, I will not repeat it as it has been mentioned, but they can drive people to matches and everything at the stroke of a pen, if they have been medically certified. They are willing to be medically certified even three times a year if necessary. Road safety is paramount, especially with children. This anomaly must be fixed. Most small companies are unable to fulfil the routes they get. They tender for them and get them, and then they are short of drivers. That is not through any fault of their own but it must be changed. I accept that not everyone wants to work beyond 65 or 66 but many who have worked all their lives want to remain in active employment and we must respect their right to do so.”
“Many things are very necessary but small employers especially are burdened down. They may be family-run businesses, maybe just a fear agus a bhean chéile or maybe sometimes just a man or woman on their own, small business owners. They are completely overburdened with bureaucracy, plus all the costs that are in business as well. Many of our older citizens provide very important services to our community and are happy to do so. They are being penalised by being forced to retire. We see a very common problem, as has been mentioned already. Bus Éireann will not allow 70-year-olds to operate a school bus despite them being fit and able to do so. This has been raised here for the last four years. I have raised it with three different taoisigh, Ministers for Transport and everybody else. I do not know why it is still there.”
“We have a wonderful workforce and I want to praise and thank them. Without them, the company would not function. I am not speaking personally but just declaring that I have an interest in the employment situation myself. The situation of the small employer, na daoine beaga, small businesses, must be nurtured. They are coming under serious pressures and bureaucratic pressures. This legislation will no doubt add to that but it is necessary. The Ceann Comhairle will know this herself as she has a business background. If you have five or six employees now, not to mind 25 or 26, you would need a secretarial position to manage all the paperwork for at least every five of them. It is just enormous and it is growing and expanding, from health and safety to HACCP, you name it.”
“Many people have found themselves in the unfortunate position of having to retire from their employment at 65 when they do not want to, and then go on jobseeker's benefit until the age of 66. That is not fair to them. It is important that this is not made in any way compulsory and that no person will be compelled to work beyond 65. It is important that they would have the choice to do so if they wish, and would not find themselves seeking employment or a social welfare payment at 65. Indeed, many want to work beyond 66 and the Bill will not go far enough in that regard. All the speakers have spoken about this and we must be mindful. I should have declared that in my own company we have up to 25 employees, many excellent workers, some of them of great longevity. It is hard at the moment to find staff in any walk of life and to get people.”
“However, I am also asking for the situation regarding the teaching assistants in the ETB and elsewhere, who have been up here many times to meet us, to be addressed. The Minister of State will be aware of them. I ask for them to get the recognition. I know it is gone to the WRC now but those people deserve to have the same standards. We cannot have yellow-pack workers, or a situation where we have the múinteoirí and the others, like ourselves, we are called the others at the moment, I do not know what we will be called next. I do not like that terminology. I do not like that being done to anybody. They should be entitled to the same pay and conditions. The pay is one thing but the conditions are also crucial, holiday pay and sick pay, annual leave and everything else.”
“The Bill implements a key commitment included in the Government's response to the Pensions Commission recommendations and implementation plan. It is very timely and appropriate that it is one of the first pieces of legislation this new Government is enacting. The anomaly was there for decades. People who had worked up 40 years' service, many of them State employees as well as everything else, were being forced then to attend at the local labour exchange gach seachtain. It was highly unjust and unfair and undignified for them. All respect to anybody who goes to the labour exchange but people who always wanted to work and did work were forced to sign on for the 12 or 15 months or whatever it was. I know this Bill cannot include everyone, and I will stick to the Bill as the Ceann Comhairle asked.”
“I hope there were not too many bus drivers bringing Offaly supporters or Tipperary supporters to Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Sunday because we all came home disappointed. Fair dues to Cork and, indeed, to Port Láirge freisin. Once enacted, the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025 will deliver a new employment right. It will allow, but not compel, an employee to stay in employment until the State pension age of 66. I want to also congratulate and wish an tAire Stáit nua, Deputy Niamh Smyth, the very best and offer her my co-operation in her position. Hopefully her door will be open to us as well. I know it will. The Bill delivers a statutory provision which sets out that an employer may not enforce a contractual retirement age which is below the State pension age, if the employee does not consent to retire.”
“I do not now whether they do that anymore. It is very important they should have a relationship with gardaí before they get into trouble and go down a slippery slope. I thank my GAA club in Newcastle, Caisleán Nua, for the tremendous work it does, and all the GAA clubs and all sporting clubs. I have to single out Clonmel Boxing Club, Martin Fennessy and the team there, including Shauna O'Keeffe. There are many great young people in sport and boxing with great achievements. They do great work.”
“We must do that because the carrot is better than the stick. Praise the young people because they are great. They have such pressures today that we never had, such as the Internet and mobile phones and rudaí mar sin. I give thanks to the youth liaison officers. We do not have enough of them and they are pulled away from their duties because of traffic duties. There are two wonderful gardaí in my area, Garda John Walsh and Garda Philip Ryan who are both off work long term due to vicious assaults against both of them. They are fine officers. It is a pity because they have the ear and the confidence of the community. As a parish priest once said, if you want to fill the churches, you must stand in the kitchens of the houses. It is important to have gardaí on the ground. When my kids were small, gardaí used to visit the national schools.”
“I also add my voice to the condolences for the great legend, Mick O'Dwyer, and offer my sympathies to his family and the GAA community. The GAA community does so much, as do rugby, soccer, boxing and all the different sports, to divert young people away from harmful behaviour. In my area we are lucky that the diocese of Waterford and Lismore provides a youth service that covers much of south Tipperary, and indeed the Cashel and Emly diocese does great work in youth services and is building in Tipperary town on the main street. Of course Comhairle na nÓg is active as well. I compliment all involved there especially a friend of mine, Joe Higgins, in Elm Park, Clonmel who is doing great work in the community. It is important, as Deputy Toole said, mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. I believe that is a profound seanfhocal.”
“On this day especially, will the Taoiseach please try to do something to alleviate this? I know much progress has been made with a number of new special schools recently and indeed at a number of new special classes in south Tipperary. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, for his engagement and for his recent visit to Cashel. We need to do more for the likes of young Michael Barrett in Cahir and others who are waiting.”
“Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Children with autism are being abandoned in south Tipperary. The HSE has confirmed that the waiting time for autism assessments is now in excess of two years. A total of 233 children are waiting for an autism assessment. Cara Darmody was told in the past that children could access assessments privately if the HSE continued to fail but that is not happening. Beyond that, I have repeatedly raised the difficulty of children with autism getting appropriate school places. At least 17 children in south Tipperary are waiting for a placement in a special school while many others are waiting for placement in special classes. The Minister for Education said that she will force schools to take places, but we have schools that are waiting for places and will not be allowed to give them.”
“Shady deals have been done with people who are unsavoury characters in both hotels I am talking about, and that is putting it mildly.”
“I welcome Jim O’Callaghan and his comments and his actions so far, and the fact that up to 81% of IPAS applications this year are being refused. It is like we were blindfolded before this and our Border was like a sieve. There is messing around, though. I was delighted we moved away from Roderic O'Gorman's Department, but now it is in no man’s land and unsavoury individuals are exploiting the situation. Eibhlin Byrne and her team are doing their best to engage with us, but engagement after the fact is not acceptable in a democratic society. There must be engagement. Politicians, including local councillors and ourselves, must be consulted. How are we going to explain to the people if we do not know and this kind of subterfuge and deceit is going on?”
“People cannot get TFI transport in Kilcoran and Ballylooby, but the Government is prepared to put on a public transport service for the IPAS people. That is discrimination against Irish people of south Tipperary. Why is there such an attack on Tipperary? We played a huge part in the War of Independence, with the first shots fired. Here we are now, with a vein of our hotels right through the middle of the county being taken up and the Department's subterfuge. The biggest farce of all is we are now 120 days after the Government formed and we still do not have a Minister in charge of it. The Minister for equality does not want anything to do with it. She is not even here this morning. It is in her lap at the moment but it is meant to be transposed to the Department of Justice.”
“Much of what the Minister of State read out to me in that reply was simply untrue. Dundrum House Hotel - the famous Crowe family for generations has had that hotel - is the only hotel not only in Dundrum village, but in the whole west Tipperary community. That turns the Department policy on its head. We have the wonderful Cahir House Hotel in Cahir operated by Robert Scannell and David Walsh, its two co-owners. They provide a great service. They have often told me they could make a lot more of money out of this. The fact is the Government is paying too much per night per person for this. It is so lucrative that unsavoury individuals are exploiting it and exploiting people who go to that accommodation. The Minister of State mentioned transport.”
“I hope the Minister of State has a good answer for me because they want answers off me, and I am looking for answers off her.”
“They are standing there, peacefully protesting - they are not anti. The Ukrainians were integrated and working, but the Government is turning it into an IPAS centre. This is reckless endangerment of an industry and communities. The Minister of State has it in her own documentation that the demographics cannot be changed by more than 5% in an area with an IPAS centre. Dundrum is being changed by 125% because, according to the last census, there are just 220 people in the village and more than 280 people are being put in. Kilcoran is similar. It is a rural parish and area. It is a great community with great people. Where is the spirit of the Gael and ní neart go cur le chéile in the dividing the Government is doing? It is not fair either to the people who go in there. There is no transport, GP services or anything else.”
“It is a great location to improve our potential for visitor numbers in Tipperary and the fíorfháilte of the Tipperary people for anybody who visits wherever they come from. We are not anti-immigration, but it is reckless in the extreme to take over businesses of long standing, which have given employment and are a valuable resource to the county and to all who visit, without consultation. I have had some engagement from Eibhlin Byrne from the engagement team, but there is no consultation. The Minister of State is in procurement. This telling of public representatives after a contract is signed is nothing short of scandalous, blackguarding and disrespectful of elected representatives who are trying to deal with the community. The communities there are good people. In Dundrum, they have been at the gates for 225 days or more.”
“Indeed, the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, told me that, as a buachaill óg, he was a page boy at the wedding of his late uncle and aunt, who is a member of the O'Brien family and is living in Ardfinnan, in the Kilcoran hotel. Dundrum hotel, which was owned by the Crowe family, is a magnificent resource, but it is riddled with court cases at the moment. There was a hearing yesterday involving the receiver. A shady owner, to put it mildly, has that as well. It is being contested and the Wennings from America, who own it, are trying to get him out of the place. The communities are not able for this. There are no GP services. There are no transport services. Kilcoran is about 6 miles from Cahir and the parish of Ballylooby. It is a wonderful beacon with great staff and it is just off the motorway.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, has come in as the junior Minister. I mean no disrespect to her and wish her well but this is not good enough. I know the only area she has responsibility for is procurement. I spoke of Kilcoran hotel. There is subterfuge there with shady owners. We did not know who owned it but we found out. The genie is out of the bottle. The owners, who have been flushed out, applied to Tipperary County Council for section 5. We know who they are and what they are, and what they want is a quick buck. They are not interested in the community. Kilcoran hotel, like Dundrum House Hotel, has been home to so many christenings, first communions and confirmations.”
“Throughout Tipperary there are hotels for tourism. I think we had a 25% reduction in tourism figures and visitors in January. We had a 30% reduction in February. If this is not alarming to the Minister of State and to the Government, that is shocking. This has been moved from the Department of integration, which I welcome, to the Department of Justice but I cannot understand for the life of me why the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has not had sight of it yet nor has the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. I thank both of them for engaging with me. I have tabled a Topical Issue but the Minister for Education, where it rests at the moment, is not here either. This is a shocking indictment of the democratic process and accountability in Dáil Éireann. None of them are here.”
“Ar an gcéad dul síos, gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach, an Teachta Ó Murchú, for allowing me to table this Topical Issue. I am disappointed that neither the Minister for Justice nor the Minister for Education are here. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, has responsibility for procurement, so she might be able to answer me. I refer to the whole situation of the procurement of hotels throughout the country, but especially in Tipperary. Racket Hall in Roscrea and Dundrum House Hotel are landmarks and beacons of our tourism industry. The beautiful Kilcoran Lodge Hotel has been in operation for more than 125 years. There are wonderful staff there and I sympathise with them. There is Hearne's Hotel in Clonmel of Charles Bianconi fame, who gave us our first transport system.”
“Farmers are powerless due to the way the issue has been treated, as are foresters. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, well because the former Minister of State, Pippa Hackett, single-handedly destroyed forestry. We need to think wisely and smartly, not have all these fanciful schemes because when the storms hit and the power goes out, people are perished in their homes and cannot cook, boil an egg or do little else. They cannot watch the news or do anything else and are switched off from reality. We need to change our policies.”
“I asked for the hedgecutting period to be extended by a fortnight or a month this time but no because the Government is still being controlled by the Green Party. Health and safety must trump the birds and the bees and all of that stuff. We must also do forward planning for two or three generations, something like the Welsh Assembly did, so we would have generators, power and alternative energy. We are cutting off our nose to spite our face. I know the Greens have been run out of office but the problem is they have people appointed in different official positions who will continue to implement those policies, unless an Rialtas takes this by the horns and goes back to nature. Let nature do its work. I have to mention ash dieback and the failure of successive Governments over the past 15 or 20 years.”
“He needed power for equipment he used due to his ill health which, thankfully, he got, and he died peacefully. Storm Éowyn highlighted the dangers of the Government's energy policies and grants, which left people sitting in the cold, with no grants or planning and no way to heat their homes. It is pure unadulterated nonsense that people are forced to build houses, when getting planning in the country, which is so hard to get, with no chimneys and no way of heating anything. I hope we learn the lessons from that. We should also support small organic growers, which have been significantly hit. They are not able to apply for the grant because their incomes are too low and are not included in it. Trees and hedges by roadsides should not be there.”
“Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Cheann Comhairle. Déanaim comhghairdeas léi ar an vóta inniu. It is great to be able to talk as backbenchers on the first Private Members' debate for which we have time. Everybody should get time here. I am sharing with Government backbenchers, although Deputy Nolan and I are not in that category. I praise all the front-line staff, especially those in the ESB, outdoor council staff, the Civil Defence, the Red Cross, contractors, including agri-contractors and plant contractors, farmers, volunteers and nurses, who go out all the time. We used to call them district or community nurses. I lament one fear uasal, John English, who was a wonderful farmer and contractor and a great family man. He died only last week and was put to rest at Castlegrace where he lived.”
“I want to say that I have the utmost confidence in Deputy Murphy, who has through her life, school days and working days, her education, her study of law and since she came in here, acted rightly at all times and on behalf of the people of Ireland. It is time we got down to the work we have to do, with the tariffs coming in probably tonight, and all the other issues such as housing - you name it. We need to get down to real politics here and work for the people who sent us here, and not the charades we have had here in the past number of weeks. I hope it will be a line in the sand and we will have the democratic principles of this House respected.”
“As a person who nominated and voted for the outgoing Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl, who did a fine job, I accepted the democratic result when Deputy Murphy was elected Ceann Comhairle. The treatment she has been subjected to - it has been outlined by my two colleagues, so I do not have to repeat it - is nothing but shocking. I had a school group up last week; thankfully they were not here when this charade happened. Is this what the Opposition wants to call - as they have described it in the media and elsewhere - ferocious opposition? Some people feel belittled or angry because they could not get into government. They had the chance; they did not.”
“I look forward to the Minister meeting with the national group. I hope this matter can be resolved. In fairness to the previous Minister, she was generous to the men's sheds. It is a pity this went off the track but I hope we can get it back on the line again.”
“I am glad the Minister will meet with the Irish Men's Sheds Association, IMSA. It is a pity that when the Department reached out to it late last year, it was unable, but hopefully this will be sorted out and we will get proper, meaningful support for the many men's sheds throughout the country, especially in Tipperary. We have men's sheds in Clogheen, Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Fethard, Mullinahone, Tiobraid Árann, Cashel and Thurles. They are tremendous organisations, and we cannot forget mná na hÉireann either. There are some women's sheds. We have one in Cahir town, Cathair Dhún Iascaigh. It is very important that this voluntary effort is supported by the Government. The association is not looking for massive amounts of money. It just wants enough to keep going without having to do a lot of fundraising, which is stressful.”
“I ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to address the funding shortfall for Irish men's sheds, specifically following the loss of the IMSA sustainability grant, and to make a statement on the matter.”
“I wish the Minister and the Minister of State well in their portfolios. The explanations are very worthwhile given the discrepancies in costs. Some counties' totals are quite alarming. Obviously drainage and topography will mean a lot. I welcome the relaxing of the requirements relating to applications by individual households. The connectivity of the people in those houses on those little boreens out to the public roads is so important. These are the little people we always talk about. They are the people we represent and they do not get much by way of anything else. It is a great scheme. I appeal for more funding to be provided. Applications into Tipperary County Council are not being taken now. It is dealing with the 2024 list. Obviously money is probably a problem. Anything the Minister can do for them will be appreciated.”
“As Deputy Barry Ward said, they will probably have to do more again in another 100 years when we are long gone. Maybe we should be able to speed up the process of coming up to date with these pieces of legislation so that any part of what is on the Statute Book would be understood before we can abide by it.”
“They are clear to see on the side of the mountain. You can see from a distance the ridges that were set up to grow potatoes during the Famine, but they failed. The people who lived there were the O'Neill family and all the different families that we tend to forget. In many places now we see remnants of the Famine times. There are the big soup pots at Clogheen hospital in my own area, which was a workhouse and soup kitchen. There is one on the other side of my parish as well, Ballymacarbry soup kitchens. People were called "soupers" and different derogatory terms. It is so important that we understand our history as well. I thank the staff, men and women I am sure, in the Departments and in the Law Reform Commission for this painstaking piece of work.”
“We are often slagged off as politicians where there are court cases, strange cases where the law is going back maybe hundreds of years or even much farther than that. The law should be clearly written in order that it can be understood by ordinary citizens. If they are expected to abide by the laws and obey them, the laws should be clearly understood. We think of the different cases all over the country of people being summonsed, dragged, evicted, sent to execution or sent to Van Diemen's Land. We have a diaspora all over the world because they were forced to leave, mainly. At the time of the Famine, we had ample food in this country but the colonial power decided that it should be used elsewhere, not to feed our people. In my own parish, the ridges that were set up in Dún na Gaoithe are still there.”