Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Moynihan.

As International Women's Day approaches, I am usually asked two very distinct questions. First, why do we still have to have International Women's Day? Second, what about an international men's day? The answer to the second one is quite simple because there is an International Men's Day on 19 November every year. How men choose to celebrate it is entirely up to them. The fact is that International Women's Day is still relevant and still needs to happen because, despite real progress, we are still not there. We stil…

I welcome the Minister, and I welcome the publication of the accelerating infrastructure action plan, with its focus on delivering infrastructure across electricity, water and transport. The identification of those four strategic pillars and 30 targeted actions shows the scale of the challenge facing us when it comes to ensuring that essential infrastructure keeps pace with population growth and development. This plan is therefore very welcome and a necessary step. Across the country, we are seeing the pressures th…

Four years is a long time in the life of a child, yet that is how long the young players of Drogheda Boys and Girls Football Club have been without permanent changing rooms or toilet facilities since an apparently malicious fire destroyed the building at Marley's Lane in 2021. This is a club with more than 300 children playing regularly, alongside schools and visiting teams. Four years on, though, there are still no proper sanitary or changing facilities on site. For anyone, never mind for young children, changing …

As is evident from my forehead, it is indeed Ash Wednesday today which, traditionally, in the Catholic faith, was a day of abstinence - probably after the previous day's overindulgence with pancakes - ahead of Lenten time. No matter what faith, it is probably a time to not only give up something but perhaps to reflect and maybe even take up something, like a little bit of kindness. That will be my quick thought for the morning. I will be raising two issues which will probably resonate with many places right across …

As the next Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, has entered the Dáil Chamber for a vote, we will pause until he returns to the Chamber for Senator Keogan's Commencement matter.

I ask for a moment to mark the passing of a true Drogheda gentleman. Anthony Smith, known universally as Tony, has died aged 87. Tony was one of the great business figures of our town. For more than six decades, he ran the renowned N. Smith and Son Ford garage, a business founded by his father Nicky almost 90 years ago next year, and carried forward through four generations of the same family. Few enterprises in Ireland can point to such continuity, commitment and local loyalty. Tony was far more than a local busin…

I am afraid this is the second time I have raised this issue but given the plethora of emails I have received about rising crime in east Meath over the last couple of days, I have to raise the issue of Laytown Garda station again. It is currently housed in a small housing estate and it is only open on Sunday and Monday between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. These is not a sleepy, fishing or seaside village we are talking about any more; this Garda station looks after a population in excess of 15,500 people. I could be talkin…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. His taking this Commencement matter shows the seriousness with which he is taking the issue. The events of 25 January 2026 are permanently etched in our memories and, more importantly, in the memories of the heartbroken family of Grace Lynch, the beautiful 16-year-old schoolgirl who was tragically mown down by someone who, we can only presume, was driving an illegal scrambler in a treacherous manner on a road in Finglas. Three days later, the Government has moved with…

I welcome the decisive action that has been taken in the past couple of days. The statistics the Minister of State mentioned regarding seizures in the past two years are probably cold comfort to the families of Grace Lynch and Jason Monks and, indeed, those of the eight fatalities arising from the use of e-scooters, e-bikes and quad bikes over the past couple of years. We need to see enforcement in the coming days and weeks. People must have confidence in the new restrictions. Even in the past few days, I have hear…

I welcome some very special guests to our Gallery; the students of Glenart College in Arklow. They are very welcome. I believe they are guests of Deputy Malcolm Byrne. I hope they have a very enjoyable trip today. I am sure they will get some very interesting tours. As is customary for anybody who visits the Seanad, there will be no homework for the rest of the day. I like to push it out to the rest of the week, but I will leave that one to the discretion of their teachers. They are very welcome and I hope they enj…

We have a very busy Chamber. Before our next speaker, I welcome students from, Scoil Mhuire, Navan, County Meath. They are all guests of our wonderful County Meath TD, Aisling Dempsey. They are very welcome to the Chamber. I hope they enjoy their visit here. As I said to the previous visitors, it is customary if a school visits the Seanad that there is no homework for the rest of the day. I always like to extend it for the rest of the week, but I will leave that to the discretion of the students' teacher who is wit…

Before we hear our next matter, we have some special guests whom I welcome to our Distinguished Visitors Gallery. They are guests of Deputy Mark Ward. I believe they are visiting from the St. John of God Community Services Centre. It does incredible work. I hope they enjoy their visit to Seanad Éireann and Leinster House today. I thank everybody for the remarkable work that they carry out.

I would also like to pay tribute to Brian Crowley and I thank the Cathaoirleach for his moving tribute. He truly was an inspiration and a pioneer of politics. The only other name on everybody's lips today is that of a beautiful young girl, Grace Lynch, who lost her life in such a tragic way in Finglas. To see her mother paying tribute to her was just heartbreaking. We need to ensure this does not happen again and no other parent goes through what she is going through. I last raised the issue of the misuse of scramb…

Hear, hear.

Like my colleague Senator O'Loughlin, I take a moment to pay tribute to a truly remarkable young woman from my community in Drogheda, County Louth. I refer to Ziva Lily Sheehy Cussen who, at 24 years of age, was taken far too young by breast cancer. Ziva's courage, kindness and strength touched hearts right across Drogheda and far beyond. Her loss has left a deep sense of sadness in so many homes. I send my deepest sympathies to her heartbroken family, namely her adoring parents Jim and Marcelle, and her beloved si…

Does the Senator wish to speak in general?

It would be an insult to the members of the Defence Forces and, perhaps, to donkeys as well. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as sin.

In the absence of Senator Tom Clonan, I ask Senator Conway to move amendment No. 2.

I echo the words of my colleague, Senator O'Loughlin. Our thoughts are with all those who lost their lives. It is such a difficult time in Bondi Beach. I would also like to recall the two heroes who saved countless lives by tackling those gunmen. It gives me a little bit of hope for the true spirit of Christmas that they may have saved lives. Thinking of heroes, I urge people across the country to look towards the community groups and volunteer groups who will try to make Christmas a little better for people. Peopl…