Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

The Deputy mentioned the Mayor of New York, Mamdani. Of course, he did go to the White House. He is not refusing to meet President Trump as a result of what has happened in Iran. The Deputy's position is not consistent when it comes to engagement. The Irish Government believes there should be engagement with people when it comes to seeking to resolve disputes. The Deputy's view is to stay away from it. We believe, when you look at the history of Ireland and what we have achieved, that we are much better off engaging with people, particularly our friends. He also mentioned what is happening at Shannon Airport. The issue of what is happening in the Middle East is happening in the eastern Mediterranean. That is where the aircraft carriers from the United States are based. All foreign military or state aircraft wishing to overfly or land in the State require diplomatic clearance. The Deputy's charge against the Irish Government is incorrect. It is at times like this that our neutrality-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18