International Developments: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21
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Naoise Ó Cearúil (FF), Kildare North

One hundred and seven years ago today, in 1919, this House - Dáil Éireann - sat for the very first time. It did so at a time of conflict. There was more conflict to come with a brutal Civil War. This country has moved significantly from war - the War of Independence, the Civil War and the Troubles in the North - to peace. There are lessons to be learned internationally about our own process and how we have developed as a nation, but what stands at the front of my mind every single day is that there are conflicts throughout the world - in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, Nigeria and what looks like more conflict starting up on what seems almost a daily basis. Sovereignty, particularly for ourselves in Ireland but also internationally, is something that is exercised and not just declared.
Our transformation - our journey from poverty to a modern state - is something that many people look upon as a good example. Notwithstanding what we have achieved in education, health and the transparency of government, as well as the long-term stability built over decades at this stage, there are still issues that we all try to address here on a daily basis. The European Union, or the EEC as it was when we joined initially, has been at the core of our development as a country. The collective decision-making of the European Union has allowed us to prosper in ways many people before us did not think we would. We moved from a primarily agricultural society to one that is far more modern. It still has large elements of agriculture, but has become a shining example of a modern democracy in a modern country.
However, the European Union has felt weak in the past decade or two when it comes to exerting its influence - "dominance" is the wrong word - throughout the world. There are positive examples, particularly in trade deals, although there have been significant issues with Mercosur, especially from an agricultural perspective, in particular for beef farmers but there are huge opportunities there as well. We need to acknowledge the opportunities of CETA, Mercosur and further trade agreements that will come down the line with countries in Oceania and Asia, and looking to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and indeed China, because there are huge opportunities there for us. We should not allow ourselves as Europeans to be dictated to or bullied by partners or indeed as Irish people. Our reliance on international co-operation should not be seen as a weak point in any way, shape or form, particularly from those we consider allies.
That leads into the political volatility in the US. We hear consistently about President Trump speaking of Greenland, and acting in Venezuela. To be honest, this is one of the most authoritarian approaches I have ever seen in my lifetime from a political leader. What gives me some heart is that if we look at the polls in the US in relation to Trump's proposal to take over Greenland by force or by a deal, as he would like to call it, we see that the vast majority of Americans are against it. It is important to recognise that while Trump is the President of the United States, he does not necessarily speak for the majority of Americans. It is clear that the vast majority of the American people are not in favour of any type of aggressive behaviour towards Greenland or indeed Denmark and its allies.
Mark Carney gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in which he spoke about prosperity being rooted in trust, institutions, and co-operation and the rejection of chaos and unilateralism. It is by working together that we have developed not only as a country, but indeed within the European Union, and internationally as well. By standing together rather than standing alone, we can increase and improve the livelihoods of Irish people and those throughout the European Union and worldwide.

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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/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21