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

Carol Nolan (IND), Offaly

Tá áthas orm labhairt ar an rún seo agus beidh mé ag tacú an rún seo atá os ár gcomhair. Ireland's military neutrality is not some relic of the past but a living, vital expression of our sovereignty and our democratic independence and it is being dismantled right in front of our eyes. The announcement on the removal of the triple lock was not just mishandled; it was a watershed moment when one of the most far-reaching changes to Irish foreign policy in decades was confirmed. Let us call it what it is: the death rattle of neutrality as a meaningful concept. The Government has set a process in motion that Ireland will come to deeply regret if the path is followed.
I broadly support the Sinn Féin motion because it recognises something fundamental, which is that neutrality and the triple lock have served us well and allowed Ireland to play a constructive role in disarmament, humanitarianism and of course peacekeeping. Instead of strengthening those traditions and conditions, the Government is dragging Ireland into deeper and deeper military alignment from the European peace facility, where costs have gone through the roof.
In April 1939, Éamon de Valera made it very clear that he would keep Ireland out of any war that occurred in Europe. Our current Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, needs to adopt the same true and strong leadership that Éamon de Valera adopted in 1939. It is particularly shocking and hard to accept that the Taoiseach would follow along and dismantle our triple lock. Earlier this year, I asked the Minister for Defence to confirm that EU defence investments must fully respect national competencies and Ireland's specific choices regarding neutrality. The Minister responded that national security remains the sole responsibility of each member state and that Ireland's neutrality must be safeguarded, yet everything the Government is doing is contradicting that assurance. I will say it plainly here tonight: no more funding for Ukraine or any other military initiative should proceed without a Dáil vote. I want to be clear on that. On that matter of principle, I did not attend when we had President Zelenskyy here. It is wrong.

---

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