Heritage Schemes
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-11
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Edward Timmins (FG), Wicklow

Never has it been so important to highlight the close relationship we have with the United States. This trail would promote our close ties. It is a perfect example of the use of soft power. Soft power is something we have in the context of the US and we need to constantly remind ourselves of this fact, develop it and not take it for granted. It has contributed to the massive investment in this country by the US. The trail would also fit perfectly, as the Minister of State said, with the goals of the shared island unit. It would boost the economy of Northern Ireland and deliver benefits that we cannot predict. It would also improve co-operation between both parts of this island and develop relationships that currently do not exist. This is the best way to unite our island. We hear a lot of divisive talk about North and South, but this is the perfect opportunity where we can bring North and South together, build relationships and unite people.

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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/2026-06-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-11