Naoise Ó Cearúil
Kildare North · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“It was an excellent evening in the French Embassy last night, particularly with Michel Barnier, the Taoiseach and the ambassador. Notwithstanding that, further to the Taoiseach's meeting with Prime Minister Sánchez, it is exciting that there will be an Ireland-Spain joint action plan. When does the Taoiseach plan on finalising this?”
“Europe's task is not simply to embrace AI blindly; it is to shape AI in a way that serves its citizens in their best interests. That means investing in skills, digital literacy, worker protection and innovation. It means ensuring that creative workers, journalists, young people and ordinary citizens are not left behind.”
“A trusted European AI capability could support SMEs, public administration, translation across European languages, healthcare, education, research and democratic resilience. It does not need to be the biggest model in the world to be useful.”
“I will focus on the competitiveness element of the European Council and Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union because this may become one of the most important parts of our Presidency. Europe is at a crossroads.”
“Europe needs to think more seriously and strategically about sovereign AI capability. That does not mean trying to build an EU version of every major American or Chinese model. That is simply not realistic or within our means. However, Europe should not be wholly dependent on models built, controlled and governed elsewhere.”
“Ireland has always understood that the European Union is more than a market; it is a community of values. However, if those values are to endure, Europe must be strong, innovative and competitive.”
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“I am not saying that there is not a need now but during the winter months in particular is when the need for home heating is most prevalent. I am not saying it is not prevalent and needed now but we have to be prepared for what might come and is likely to come later this year. We cannot use all of the finances and abilities at our disposal at the beginning of such an event. We have to be cognisant of this and think strategically and long term about how to look after the welfare of the people of this State not just in the days and weeks ahead, but in the months and years ahead. That is what this proposal does. It looks at the situation strategically and the Government is trying to be cognisant of that fact. It is also acting responsibly. I make that argument strongly. It was not a knee-jerk reaction.”
“If people are not sure how to contact a community welfare officer, feel free to contact me and my office. We will be more than happy to help, as we have been helping many families throughout Kildare. When we discuss the entire package, it is important to put it into context that we did not take a knee-jerk reaction. There was a month of consideration and looking at how things were playing out and things are yet to play out. It is likely that the price of oil will increase drastically again. What are we to do in that circumstance? The State cannot intervene in every single circumstance. It can only do so much and go as far as possible. We have to think about further down the line when there may be a particular and a desperate need and more of a need.”
“Maynooth, Celbridge, Naas, Leixlip, Kilcock and Clane are all choked with traffic. Public transport is one of the only means for us to move out of that particular scenario. I am also thinking of things such as ring roads like the one being constructed in Maynooth at the moment. In terms of the measures being introduced, it has to be acknowledged that they are targeted, and we have to be cognisant that this is very fast changing situation in the Middle East. It makes sense to extend the fuel allowance by four weeks. It makes sense that community welfare officers are liaising and working with families that are hard pressed and struggling at the moment. What I would say to anybody listening, particularly in Kildare, is to please reach out to a community welfare officer if you are finding things difficult.”
“There has been an increase in public transport and in the use of public transport but there continues to be a demand and a need for private transportation, particularly for people living out of town and for people with young children. This House needs to acknowledge that public transport works for some people but it does not work for a lot. For example, a family might have two or three children with different drop-off and pick-up times, as well as parents trying to get into work. These are considerations for people using private transport. It is not as simple as trying to ensure everybody uses public transport. However, it should be encouraged and recommended for everybody in the context of trying to take people off the roads and reduce congestion in our towns and villages.”
“The world is quite a scary place right now from the war in the Middle East, including in Iran and Gaza and the West Bank in Palestine, to what we are seeing in Somalia and Russia's continuing onslaught on Ukraine. We experienced hikes in the prices of various goods and services, particularly energy, after the invasion of Ukraine. What we are seeing now is a multiple of that because the Strait of Hormuz plays a crucial role in the supply of oil worldwide and in the supply of rare earth minerals that are crucial to the manufacturing of components we use every day. In many circumstances, it is not just about the crude oil. What the Government has announced needs to be welcomed. Members across the House acknowledge the difficulty people have been experiencing, particularly commuters in Kildare North going to and from work.”
“Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire in Broadford, County Kildare, an exceptional national school with 60 pupils, is typical of a lot of rural national schools around the country that have a reduction in school numbers and therefore a reduction in capitation. This is posing a challenge for many rural schools. The Financial Support Services Unit has engaged with the school and has essentially used it as a best-case example of a national school doing the most it can with the capitation it has. However, there is a clear issue with capitation funding for rural schools with declining school numbers. I ask that the Department of Education and Youth review the capitation funding for small rural schools to ensure their longevity and that they do not have to continue fundraising year in and year out for vital services such as electricity.”
“This morning, The Irish Times reported on work done by Conor Gallagher and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, OCCRP, in relation to Aughinish Alumina in Limerick and how product from that facility is being used in the military industry in Russia. This afternoon, I spoke with the Ukrainian ambassador, Larysa Gerasko, who expressed her deep fears about this news. What is the Government doing and, to the best of its knowledge, what can it do in relation to this work at Aughinish Alumina to stop the sale of products from Ireland for use in the war in Ukraine?”
“Kildare has the population, the demand and the established service infrastructure with Teach Tearmainn to cater for and care for more women not only in Kildare but across the region.”
“I want to state my appreciation for the work the Minister, Cuan and the Department are doing in increasing supports for domestic violence survivors and indeed those who care for them. What the likes of Teach Tearmainn are looking for is the long- and medium-term assurances that staffing capacity will keep pace with the rising need. We are seeing a rising need, particularly in domestic violence situations which is quite worrying. It is not just in Kildare - it is across the country – and that is reflected in the increased number of refuge centres across the country and in the work the Department is doing. I want to acknowledge the vital work Teach Tearmainn is doing under real pressure and under constraints. The Minister has seen it himself. It has a really impressive set up.”
“I welcome the Minister saying that Cuan is considering Kildare for phase 2 development. That is welcome news. Teach Tearmainn is in Kildare town, which is quite a considerable distance from the north of the county, from the likes of Maynooth, Leixlip, Celbridge, Kilcock and Clane, and it is technically in the Kildare South constituency. However, it caters for women not only across Kildare but also across the midlands. The work it does is truly outstanding. One thing that has arisen for Teach Tearmainn is the amount of court-based related work it has been carrying out in Naas. There is need for a refuge centre in Naas, although I should say it has safe houses there. When will phase 2 be considered so that the likes of Teach Tearmainn can plan for the future?”
“I had the opportunity to visit Teach Tearmainn women’s refuge in Kildare recently where I met Lorraine Rowan, the CEO, and her team who are carrying out incredible work. A lot of questions arose from that meeting, particularly the need to outline the criteria being used by Cuan in identifying priority locations for new refuge units and if counties with established domestic, sexual and gender based violence services, such as Kildare, may be considered for inclusion in future phases of refuge development.”
“This means there will be a continuation of service, but it is critical that this service remain in a location that is accessible, not just for older people but also for people with disabilities and the entire community. It has been touched on here that the diversification of the post office network is crucial. We have seen some of it particularly when it comes to parcels and social welfare payments, but we need to look at it as a hub in the community, which it is, and diversify from a business perspective.”
“In Leixlip, for example, the post office was moved from the main street up to Barnhall, and it has been far more difficult for older people particularly to get to that part of the town. It is extremely difficult for those living in Confey to get up the hill to Barnhall on the far side of the town. As the Minister of State knows, the main clientele within post offices are older people in our communities. We need to pay heed to that and acknowledge, when new contracts are being awarded, that they should in a central location that is convenient for older people to get to. In Celbridge, the Murray family has run the Celbridge post office since 1987, nearly 40 years, with Aileen and her mum, Eileen, before her. I thank them for their service to the community. There have been 11 bids for the post office in Celbridge, which I welcome.”
“Tá fíorthábhacht a baint leis na hoifigí an phoist timpeall na tíre. Tá siad i gcroílár an phobail i ngach pobal timpeall na hÉireann. Cuirim fáilte roimh a thuilleadh maoiniú; timpeall is €15 milliún a fógraíodh i mí Eanáir. Is rud fíorthábhachtach é sin. Tá seirbhís poiblí riachtanach á chur ar fáil ag na hoifigí an phoist fud fad na tíre. As I have just said through Gaeilge, particularly during Seachtain na Gaeilge, the post office network and post offices play a vital part in our local communities, be that in rural or urban settings. What we are seeing a lot of in urban settings, and also in rural, is the retirement of postmasters and postmistresses who had family businesses. Those post offices are now moving to other settings.”
“Tá níos mó oibre le déanamh, ach caithfimid smaoineamh faoin áit a rabhamar deich mbliana ó shin, 20 bliain ó shin agus 30 bliain ó shin agus an áit a bhfuilimid anois. Tá mise ag súil le dul chun cinn na Gaeilge sa todhchaí.”
“Tá na comhairlí contae ag breathnú ar na réigiún Gaeltachta seo ar nós réigiúin eile sa chontae ina bhfuiltear, seachas breathnú díreach orthu mar áiteanna croílár na teanga sa tír seo. Tá dúshláin eile ar nós na hearcaíochta san earnáil Ghaeilge. Mar Leas-Chathaoirleach ar an gcoiste Gaeilge, Gaeltachta agus phobal labhartha na Gaeilge san Oireachtas, táimid ag déileáil leis an méid sin faoi láthair. Tá dúshláin ann le líon na nGaelcholáistí. I nGaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad, mar shampla, níl foirgneamh buan aige agus tá sé de dhíth. Caithfimid níos mó cúrsaí tríú leibhéal a chur ar fáil chun an earcaíocht sin a bhaint amach faoi 2030. Tá níos mó cúrsaí ag teastáil trí mheán na Gaeilge. An rud is tábhachtaí ná go bhfuil an Ghaeilge á cur chun cinn. Tá sé i staid láidir.”
“Caithfear daoine a mholadh agus caithfear a admháil go bhfuil an t-uafás déanta go dtí seo. Tá tuilleadh maoinithe ag teastáil. Tuigimid é sin, ach caithfimid seasamh siar uaireanta agus a rá go bhfuil an t-uafás á dhéanamh agus go bhfuil níos mó le déanamh. Araon leis sin, tá dúshláin ann. Is sampla é an tithíocht sa Ghaeltacht. Bhí BÁNÚ agus Tinteán lasmuigh de gheataí Theach Laighean níos luaithe agus táthar sa seomra AV anois. Tá deacrachtaí ann ó thaobh tithíocht sa Ghaeltacht. Tá na treoirlínte le teacht amach ag tús na bliana seo chugainn. Ba bhreá liom iad sin a fheiscint i bhfad níos tapúla mar tá sé ródheacair do dhaoine óga agus do gach duine sa Ghaeltacht cead pleanála a fháil. Tá fadhbanna ar leith ann ó thaobh Airbnb. Ceann de na fadhbanna atá ann ná leis na comhairlí contae.”
“Mar sin, ní díreach ábhar Gaeilge atá ann, ach tá an Ghaeilge mar chuid lárnach den oideachas agus mar chuid de shaol an scoláire chomh maith. Caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil an t-uafás déanta cheana féin ag an Rialtas seo. Níl an Rialtas seo ach le chéile le beagnach bliain anuas. I mbuiséad 2026, bhí méadú sa bhuiséad €35 milliún – 29% i mbuiséad 2026 i gcomparáid le buiséad 2025. Caithfidh mé an tAire a mholadh. Tá an t-uafás déanta ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, chun an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht a chur chun cinn. Fuair sé tuilleadh maoinithe don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht nach raibh feicthe againn riamh. Caithfimid é sin a mholadh. Tá an cleachtas seo ag an bhFreasúra an t-am ar fad chun an Rialtas agus an tAire a cháineadh. Níl sé sin maith go leor.”
“An tseachtain seo caite, bhíos sa Bhreatain Bheag leis an gcoiste Oireachtais na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge le breathnú ar an méid atá á dhéanamh acu sa tír sin chun an Bhreatnais a chur chun cinn. Is léir go bhfuil an t-uafás ar siúl acu agus againn anseo in Éirinn. I gcomparáid, sa Bhreatain Bheag, is léir sa chóras oideachais ansin go bhfuil cúrsaí tumoideachais acu ag dul ón mbunscoil go dtí an mheánscoil, rud éigin ar cóir dúinn féachaint air anseo in Éirinn. Araon leis sin, táthar ag breathnú go mbeadh 10% den tseachtain sna scoileanna Béarla tríd an mBreatnais. Díreach agus mé ag smaoineamh faoi sin in Éirinn, an rud go bhféadfaimis a dhéanamh anseo ná ar an Aoine, mar shampla, go ndéanfar ealaín, ceol agus corpoideachas go léir trí Ghaeilge.”
“Cheapfá go raibh staid na Gaeilge go hainnis sa tír seo ón méid atá cloiste againn inniu ón bhFreasúra. Ní hé sin an cás. Is dea-scéal í an Ghaeilge sa lá atá inniu ann, agus is scéal dearfach é. Tá an Ghaeilge le feiscint agus le clos i ngach uile pháirt den tsochaí anois - sna scannáin, sa cheol agus fiú sna sráideanna. É sin ráite, tá dúshlán fós ann. Tuigimid uilig é sin. An rud is tábhachtaí ná go bhfuil dul chun cinn dochreidte déanta ó thaobh na Gaeilge de sa tír seo, agus tá an athbheochan fós beo. Tá níos mó daoine anois ag labhairt na Gaeilge ná a raibh riamh i stair na tíre seo. Tá níos mó le déanamh againn ionas go mbeadh níos mó Gaeilgeoirí againn sa tír seo.”
“The building “is not fit for purpose to operate without considerable risk” and “is unsafe and poses a serious immediate threat to the well-being, health and safety of the occupants and users.” This is a consultant's report in relation to St. Patrick's National School in Celbridge. Those occupants and users are children, teachers and staff. The Minister for Education and Youth visited the site just over a month ago. What are needed right now are new modular units. There is a long-term plan for a permanent school, but new modular units are needed immediately. I have proposed a solution to move modular units that are not in use in another school in Kildare to the site. This is something we need to act on now. I am more than happy to share additional information with the Tánaiste.”
“I know this circular has been updated, but that needs to be expedited. As the Minister of State is fully aware, the reality on the ground is that the work that SNAs do is not primarily what is set out in that circular. We need that to be reflective of the reality that SNAs experience on a daily basis. My speaking time is limited. My last point concerns the progression of SNAs from primary to secondary school. We have seen a huge amount of investment in SNAs, special classes and special schools at primary level. My fear is that we are going to come up against a crisis at secondary level in the years ahead. I ask the Minister of State to prepare for additional SNAs and special classes at secondary level.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh ráitis na nAirí faoin maoiniú breise de €19 milliún agus, mar aon leis sin, nach mbeidh laghdú ar líon na gcúntóirí riachtanas speisialta fud fad na tíre. Reference has been made throughout the debate to the amazing work that SNAs do. Having friends and family as SNAs, and being close to the schools in Kildare North, I see it first-hand. What I think we need to acknowledge is the number of children in education, both in the past and currently, who would not have gone through the education system if it were not for the SNAs they have. That is the critical importance of SNAs. They allow young people to reach their potential and, therefore, to contribute to society later on, and to have a full and fulfilling life. The circular of 2014 was also mentioned today, specifically part 30 on the primary care needs of a child.”
“As we spoke about before, I did not claim it in first year, but I did in second year when I realised I was eligible for it.”
“I welcome that. It is really positive. Deputy Jen Cummins mentioned earlier children who are estranged from their parents, etc., and having to rely on their parents then when they are looking for student grants or if they are not getting student grants, even though they are estranged. The Minister's response to that made complete sense. It could increase the number of people claiming they are estranged when they might not be. The Minister and spoke outside the House about the other issue I raise. He stated that about 80% of the population are eligible for some sort of SUSI grant. I do not know if this is being planned but it would be great to see the Department promote that message in secondary schools. It could also work with the CAO to get that news out to students. A lot of people who are eligible for it do not claim it, like me.”
“I acknowledge the efforts and measures the Minister has taken in increasing the non-adjacent grants, the student assistance fund, etc. I spent a year in student union politics just after university in Maynooth students' union. An issue then, which continues to be an issue, is that there are those who sit right above the threshold for grants, for whatever reason. It is similar in a way to when somebody is applying for social housing and there is an income limit of €40,000. In circumstances where there is a €40,000 income limit, as in that instance, or a €50,000 limit, in terms of the SUSI grant, there is sometimes a reason that the threshold should not apply to someone earning €51,000. In that circumstance, is there any way view of assessing difficulty or hardship or reasoning when assessing that hard line of a threshold?”
“What measures are being considered this year, in 2026, to support students with accommodation and living costs, including any planned adjustments to SUSI thresholds, particularly in our constituency of Kildare North and the Maynooth area but also as students from across our constituency are travelling into Dublin. Not everybody goes to Maynooth, as I did. A lot of people go into Dublin. What plans, if any, are there for 2026?”
“I understand the phased approach, but ensuring multi-year funding would allow higher education institutions to move from pilot phases to full implementation. I ask as well that a national UDL benchmark be established so we can measure consistency across higher education institutions. We need to ensure there are benchmarks that show what is success, what is working and not working, and what we can learn from, change and improve. Finally, I ask for further support to institutions with dedicated UDL co-ordinators or teams. Having a team on campus supporting these students is particularly important. Seeing those types of measures in place will certainly benefit those students now and into the future.”
“However, there does not seem to be a standardisation or an even implementation across higher education institutions. I know we are still at the early stages of UDL adoption, but if there were a standardisation across the higher education institutions, that would make it more accessible to more people.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. There has been a concerted effort from the Minister and the Department to ensure that PATH 4 is expanded. It is about realising the potential of every young person through education, in particular. PATH 4 certainly offers that. There has been strong uptake across higher education institutions, improved staff capacity and awareness, and inclusive training and teaching. There is early evidence of more accessible learning. I pay tribute to some positive examples. Maynooth University has delivered universal design for learning, UDL, training to academic staff and developed inclusive assessment pilots; University College Cork has embedded UDL principles into first-year curriculum redesign projects; and Technological University Dublin has introduced UDL-aligned digital learning standards and staff workshops.”
“I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy John Connolly. The programme for access to higher education, PATH, 4, is the universal design for learning. It supports HEIs in making teaching assessment and student supports more inclusive. Does the Minister or Department plan on developing or expanding any phases of PATH 4?”
“We need to ensure that we have this strategy in place in order that we can, in turn, make sure we have the skills required to develop the roads, hospitals and other the key elements of infrastructure that we need. While the focus should rightly be on national infrastructure, as it is in this plan, which I welcome, we need to ensure that we have a social infrastructure plan that focuses on towns and villages and high-growth areas and delivers what families really deserve.”
“While it is welcome that we are addressing large infrastructural plans, we need to be ensuring families feel secure in the context of education, health and safety in the communities in which they live. It is incumbent on us to deliver that. This infrastructure plan, as good as it is in focusing on national delivery, which is long needed, does not focus on the critical issues facing families here today. I am speaking specifically of families in Kildare North, but it extends to areas in Meath, Dublin and Wicklow as well. On the infrastructure plan, one matter to which I want to refer is the skills shortage and the major bottleneck relating to the national workforce strategy.”
“In the context of schools, St. Patrick's National School in Celbridge is falling to bits. There are serious issues with funding for Stepping Stones Special School in Maynooth. The three school campus in Celbridge is still only at design stage 2a. This means that Celbridge Community School, St. Raphael's Special School and St. Patrick's National School are still waiting for their school building projects to progress. Salesian Secondary School in Celbridge still has waiting lists. Maynooth Post Primary School still has waiting lists. There are people still waiting to get into Maynooth Community College. Families are finding this particularly difficult, and we need to really address what is happening.”
“The most frequent issue I raise in this Chamber is the issue of infrastructure. While I welcome the infrastructure plan, and there is a lot to it and some excellent developments in it, particularly in terms of national infrastructure, what it fails to do and what we are not focusing on but should be focusing on is the social infrastructure throughout the country, especially in our towns and villages that are growing exponentially. When I speak about social infrastructure, I speak about the Garda stations. Maynooth, Celbridge and Kilcock all have part-time Garda stations. Celbridge has a population of 22,000 and it has a part-time Garda station. Maynooth, with a population of over 22,000 and an additional 17,000 students, has a part-time Garda station. There is no primary care centre for Leixlip. These are significant issues.”
“I, too, wish to raise the issue of Sudan and other conflicts in Africa, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and the Sahel. Ireland has a proud history of peacekeeping in Africa. Has there been any discussion or consideration about UN peacekeeping troops being deployed to Sudan in the future? Would Ireland consider such a request?”
“One of the G20 members, namely, India, and the European Union today announced the progression of a free-trade agreement which has been almost two decades in the making and will impact over 2 billion people. Has the Government assessed any particular issues risks and indeed opportunities for Ireland in the EU-India free trade agreement? Has it assessed what the ratification process will mean for Ireland?”
“These are all extremely positive initiatives. I commend the Minister of State on them. However, what remains to be addressed is how children and young people with autism are being dealt with through mental health supports. It is said that children's mental health supports need to be addressed through the relevant channels. Rather than actually analysing and looking at these two issues separately, the assertion is that the mental health difficulties here are due to the autism diagnosis. They may be connected, but they are two separate issues and need to be dealt with separately and supported separately. In this particular case, we are trying our best but we cannot get anywhere with it. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for the parents in this situation.”
“Hopefully, this approach will find resolutions for such children in the future but for this child, there needs to be a resolution as soon as possible.”
“I welcome the positive news and the developments, particularly on the implementation plans. It would be great to get an idea of the timelines for implementation. We have had a number of cases in our office. One that strikes me quite strongly involves a young person with autism and mental health difficulties. They were referred by their GP to CAMHS, which said the young person fell below the threshold. CAMHS then referred the case, after a lot of back and forth with the Department of Health, and the young person was essentially told it was an issue for the Department of children. They went to the Department of children and they were told it was an issue for the Department of Health. These are young and vulnerable people, in particular. Their parents are trying their best and are at their wits' end.”
“I am asking about the development and implementation of a single point of access for children's disability, mental health and primary care services to ensure timely access to appropriate supports. In many instances, cases are being sent from section to section within the Department itself and we are not getting proper conclusions for constituents and people coming to us.”
“What needs to happen here is real-time communication and also clear restoration timelines. People need to have an idea how much water to buy when they go to the supermarket because the supply is going to be gone for a particular amount of time. People need that certainty and I ask the Minister of State to bring it back to Irish Water that we actually communicate more effectively with the public.”
“What we are dealing with here, with housing estates in particular, are young families and people with disabilities who need access to water. Having certainty of access to water is critical. If there are planned outages, people can live with that but what we are not seeing from Irish Water and what we need to see more of, is how it communicates with the public. I ask that Irish Water improves its public communications, particularly in isolated areas where there are outages, planned and unplanned. I give credit to Irish Water for some of the schemes it is doing, such as the water supply project in the eastern midlands region, the Crodaun wastewater network upgrade in Celbridge, and the Maynooth water main replacement leakage reduction programme focused particularly on Old Greenfield and that side of the town.”
“I would turn up on a site at two o’clock in the morning with water bursting out of a main road. I would get on to the fire service, the council and Uisce Éireann to try to get it resolved. That was not my role as a county councillor, and it is certainly not my role as a TD either. I am more than happy to step into the breach and help the public as much as possible but Uisce Éireann is failing in its duty to communicate with the public. We see this time and again. For example, Carton Grove, an estate in Maynooth, lost water two days ago. I communicated with Uisce Éireann that we needed action on the ground and it told me there were teams on site. There were no teams on site. It took more than 24 hours to get the issue resolved.”
“It feels a bit like Groundhog Day here today. In February of last year, in one of my first contributions to this House, I spoke about water outages in Kildare North. Indeed, I had a Topical Issue on the very same issue in June of last year. I hate to admit the greater Dublin area, in relation to Kildare, is growing. Maynooth, Leixlip, Celbridge, Kilcock and Clane are under severe pressure when it comes to electricity, connections of new estates and water infrastructure. In particular with the water infrastructure for those people living in those towns at the moment, it is extremely common to have outages. In my time as a county councillor - I was a county councillor for ten and a half years - it felt like it was my job to communicate with the public that there was a water outage.”
“It is clear that the vast majority of the American people are not in favour of any type of aggressive behaviour towards Greenland or indeed Denmark and its allies. Mark Carney gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in which he spoke about prosperity being rooted in trust, institutions, and co-operation and the rejection of chaos and unilateralism. It is by working together that we have developed not only as a country, but indeed within the European Union, and internationally as well. By standing together rather than standing alone, we can increase and improve the livelihoods of Irish people and those throughout the European Union and worldwide.”
“Our reliance on international co-operation should not be seen as a weak point in any way, shape or form, particularly from those we consider allies. That leads into the political volatility in the US. We hear consistently about President Trump speaking of Greenland, and acting in Venezuela. To be honest, this is one of the most authoritarian approaches I have ever seen in my lifetime from a political leader. What gives me some heart is that if we look at the polls in the US in relation to Trump's proposal to take over Greenland by force or by a deal, as he would like to call it, we see that the vast majority of Americans are against it. It is important to recognise that while Trump is the President of the United States, he does not necessarily speak for the majority of Americans.”
“However, the European Union has felt weak in the past decade or two when it comes to exerting its influence - "dominance" is the wrong word - throughout the world. There are positive examples, particularly in trade deals, although there have been significant issues with Mercosur, especially from an agricultural perspective, in particular for beef farmers but there are huge opportunities there as well. We need to acknowledge the opportunities of CETA, Mercosur and further trade agreements that will come down the line with countries in Oceania and Asia, and looking to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and indeed China, because there are huge opportunities there for us. We should not allow ourselves as Europeans to be dictated to or bullied by partners or indeed as Irish people.”
“Our transformation - our journey from poverty to a modern state - is something that many people look upon as a good example. Notwithstanding what we have achieved in education, health and the transparency of government, as well as the long-term stability built over decades at this stage, there are still issues that we all try to address here on a daily basis. The European Union, or the EEC as it was when we joined initially, has been at the core of our development as a country. The collective decision-making of the European Union has allowed us to prosper in ways many people before us did not think we would. We moved from a primarily agricultural society to one that is far more modern. It still has large elements of agriculture, but has become a shining example of a modern democracy in a modern country.”
“One hundred and seven years ago today, in 1919, this House - Dáil Éireann - sat for the very first time. It did so at a time of conflict. There was more conflict to come with a brutal Civil War. This country has moved significantly from war - the War of Independence, the Civil War and the Troubles in the North - to peace. There are lessons to be learned internationally about our own process and how we have developed as a nation, but what stands at the front of my mind every single day is that there are conflicts throughout the world - in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, Nigeria and what looks like more conflict starting up on what seems almost a daily basis. Sovereignty, particularly for ourselves in Ireland but also internationally, is something that is exercised and not just declared.”