An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-27
============================================================

Maria Byrne (CC), Agricultural Panel

Before I call Senator Clifford-Lee, I welcome visitors from Rylane National School, who are guests of Senator Lynch. You are obviously from Cork. I see Deputy Nash is there with some guests as well; they are very welcome. Kyle Roche is here. He is on work experience with Senator Clifford-Lee. Sam Burke is here and he is on work experience with me. They are all very welcome.
I give a special welcome to the Italian ambassador, H.E. Nicola Faganello, and Michela Linda Magrì. I hope I have the pronunciation right. They are here to celebrate and mark Italy's national day. Republic Day celebrates the establishment of the Italian Republic, which marks its 80th anniversary in 2026. Italy officially became a republic in 1946 after the Italian people voted in favour in a referendum. It was the first vote in the country to be carried out under universal suffrage in the aftermath of the Second World War. This year Italy held an important place on the world stage as it held the Winter Olympics in February. The games were incredibly successful and became a record-breaking event in terms of global reach. Engagement figures surpassed previous records across viewing, streaming and social media platforms both within Italy and internationally. As proud nations at the heart of Europe, Italy and Ireland share a strong connection built on common values, rich cultures and a deep commitment to democracy and community. A vibrant Italian community of approximately 18,000 lives in Ireland. There is also an Irish-Italian Chamber of Commerce in Dublin, which was established in 2020. It supports Italian businesses across a wide range of sectors. I wish ambassador Faganello and Italians living in Ireland and around the world a very happy Republic Day. Buona Festa della Repubblica . You are very welcome and enjoy your visit to Leinster House.

---

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/seanad/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27