Air Navigation and Transport (Arms Embargo) Bill 2024 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-22
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Tom Clonan (IND), University of Dublin

We have to know what is transiting through our airspace, for all of these reasons.
Back in 2006, when the Israelis invaded Lebanon, they closed down the cellular network in Lebanon and I could not reach any of the contacts I had there as a journalist. Do Senators remember 11811? I dialled that; it is international inquiries. I got, "Eleven eight eleven. Mary speaking." I said, "Would you have a number for the Lebanese Parliament?" She said she did not and would have to route me through its embassy in London. Lo and behold, ten seconds later I was talking to a member of the Lebanese Parliament while Beirut was under fire. He asked where I was from and I said I was from Ireland. "You know what," he said, "you should be ashamed of yourselves because I know Shannon Airport is being used to bring this destruction and death to my city." Ireland prides itself on its diaspora and neutral status and that in and of itself puts Irish lives at risk.
In terms of primary intelligence, we must be the only country in the European Union that tolerates not knowing what weapon systems are transiting through our airspace.
I commend this Bill and commend my colleagues on drafting it and persisting with it. I am disappointed to note the Government is opposing it because I do not see anything in it that causes any difficulty. When I go to sleep at night - last night was one of those rare occasions when all four adult children were in the house sleeping - I just think of how lucky we are. Then I think of that little girl who went to get water.
She was shot through the head with a high velocity round, and we are participating in that. We are facilitating that. We are not taking the simple steps outlined in this Bill to remove ourselves from that supply and we are giving genocide, femicide, patricide and homicide tacit moral approval. In years to come, I or anybody in this House may be asked, "When this was happening, Dad, Mum, Grandad, Nana, what did you do about it?" I am proud to say that we supported this initiative, and others. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his leeway.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-22