Neutrality and Triple Lock: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-16
============================================================

Louise O'Reilly (SF), Dublin Fingal West

I thank my party colleague Deputy Ó Laoghaire for bringing forward this important motion this evening. Let us be honest about what the Minister is trying to do and wants to do on what some might call the down low and in secrecy when people are not looking, but we will always shine a light on her actions. We in Sinn Féin will oppose any attempts to undermine our neutrality. The Minister underestimates the support for this position at her peril. We are proud of our peacekeepers and the role they play in international conflict resolution. Instead of trying to dismantle the triple lock - neutrality protection - it would serve the Government better to invest in our Defence Forces. The greatest asset that we have in our Defence Forces is the men and women who put on the uniform. If the Minister values them, then give them the equipment they need, bring them into the European working time directive and ensure they have the protections other workers have. If she does not believe that this issue is important, then I invite her to put it to the people. If she thinks that she is right - she is not but if she is so convinced - then put it to the people in a referendum. Let the people have their say.
If we needed any more reminding of how much peace means to us as Irish people, we only have to look at the fallout from what is happening with the Ed Sheeran tour. By dropping Macklemore because he stood up for decency and peace, that has set in train repercussions that are being felt all over the world. Irish men and women are standing up with Beoga and Aaron Rowe and saying very clearly, "We value peace, we value decency and we as Irish people value our role in peace and conflict resolution."

---

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/2026-09-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-16