Neutrality and Triple Lock: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-16
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Ruairí Ó Murchú (SF), Louth

I think Aaron Rowe summed up Irish history quite well and I commend him for the stance he has taken:
But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation.... I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.
He spoke about that as he stood on the side of right in relation to Gaza and the rights of the Palestinian people. That is the history we have and it has been followed by a proud history of military neutrality. We believe in that neutrality and in non-alignment. That is not being in the pocket or in hock to military blocs. We know what it is to have suffered under "might is right". Unfortunately, that is the world we live in at the minute.
Neutrality and the triple lock have served us well, as have the tens of thousands of Irish men and women who have served as UN peacekeepers. Some of them have made the ultimate sacrifice and I think of Michael McNeela, Seán Rooney and many others.
Look at the world we live in at the moment. Conflicts abound, whether we are talking about Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the continued genocidal Israeli occupation of Gaza, the settler violence and land grabs in the West Bank, the US and Israeli war with Iran, the Israeli onslaught on Lebanon, and the Sudanese war. It is in this unpredictable environment that the Government proposes to take a step away from multilateralism and international co-operation, and it intends do that by, as a first step, abandoning the triple lock.
We have all seen polls and spoken to people in our communities. We know where the Irish people stand solidly in relation to neutrality. The Government wants to state that this is only about the triple lock and it is literally a formula. It is a first step on a journey that is about moving away from our idea of independent foreign policy and military non-alignment. It is not good enough. If this Government was brave enough, it would put it to a vote. It is as simple as that. This is not good enough.

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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