Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-01-20 ============================================================ Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central Ireland has not been silent on the Middle East. Ireland has not been silent on Gaza. This is recognised around the world, no matter who it annoyed or may annoy. We have stood firm on a whole range of issues in the context of the Middle East, and we will remain so. In the context of the US, up to 40 million people in America claim Irish descent. We have always had a very strong relationship with the US, irrespective of who the President happens to be or who is in power on the Hill at any given time. That has underpinned a very significant economic relationship that puts bread on the tables of Irish workers. That is the reality. It is easy for me to make grand statements and for the Deputy and everybody else. Grand statements do not put bread on the table. It is easy to do but it does not put bread on the table. We need cool heads. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-20/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-20