An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-18
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Gerard P. Craughwell (IND), Labour Panel

I hope I do not drop dead with a heart attack in the next few minutes having rushed up here. I rushed up here to wish my colleagues, the Deputy Leader and the Leas-Chathaoirleach a very happy Christmas and a happy new year. We are living in tough times. As we go back to our communities, we will all be aware of the fact that there are people living around us whom we know are struggling hard as we come into this time of year. While it is festive for some of us, it is an awful, miserable time for others. Spare a thought for those who will be going through serious mental health issues over the festive period. I pray that all of them survive the period and come out the other side. I have seen hard times myself in my life. My heart goes out to people who are going through hard times now.
In particular, I thank the staff of the Oireachtas who make the wheels of this organisation run smoothly all of the time and ensure that we have every resource we need when and where we need it. That takes a lot of work from the stewards to the catering staff and right through to the staff of the Seanad Office, who keep a watchful eye over the rulebook and make sure we behave ourselves while we are here. I thank Martin and his staff. They do a wonderful job. I wish them well. Now I will sit down before I fall down.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-18