Kilkenny City Vocational School and Coláiste Pobail Osraí are both excellent schools that do hugely important work for young people and the wider Kilkenny community. However, their new school campus project has been stuck at stage 2B for quite some time. The school community and I are eager to see it progressed to the next stage as a matter of urgency. I spoke with both schools and school leaderships last week. Certainty around capital funding is needed. This project would provide modern, fit for purpose facilities…

I was very saddened this morning to hear of the very sad and untimely passing of Eamonn Langton. Eamonn was a very successful businessman, a staunch Kilkenny man and a passionate GAA supporter. The Langton name and the Langton establishment are synonymous with everything that is good about Kilkenny. Recently he was made a freeman of the city. It was such a fitting tribute that he was able to be there with all his family and friends. A great Gael passed away this morning. We are thinking of him and all his family at…

Everyone has the right to be safe and to feel safe in their homes and communities. Across the country, communities are dealing with the scourge of crime and antisocial behaviour. The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and significant funding has been put into resourcing An Garda Síochána. There has been an additional €500 million over the last five years. As the Taoiseach said, by the end of this year, for the first time ever, we will have about 15,000 gardaí serving the State. It will …

And Carlow.

We can tell a great deal about the strength of a rural community by the services that remain at its heart. If the school is open, the local shop is trading, the GAA club is thriving and the post office is still there, that community has a bright future. That is why this Bill matters. As Fianna Fáil spokesperson on rural affairs, I am delighted to support this legislation because it is about much more than funding a postal network. It is about protecting an essential piece of Ireland's social and economic infrastruc…

For people living with Friedreich's ataxia time is something they simply do not have. Every delay means more mobility lost, more speech lost and more independence taken away. Families such as Emily Felix and her family in Kilkenny, Oisín Pollard and his family in Carlow and many others have campaigned with huge dignity and courage for access to Skyclarys, the first treatment approved for this condition but unfortunately they continue to face delay and uncertainty while the disease continues to progress. Will the Ta…

Like previous speakers, I raise the issue of teacher losses. I am asking for the intervention of the Tánaiste regarding Our Lady of Lourdes National School in Slieverue, County Kilkenny, where the incoming junior infants class for September 2026 is expected to consist of 34 children taught by a single teacher following the loss of a teaching post. The school has successfully operated smaller junior infants classes in recent years. As the Tánaiste knows, research consistently shows that the greatest benefits of smal…

I am happy enough because I am first.

As someone who was born and reared in rural Ireland and who lives there, I will highlight the very real challenges facing communities in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. In communities like those of Mullinavat and Inistioge, inadequate wastewater treatment capacity is becoming a serious barrier to future growth and future investment. People in these communities want to see homes delivered and young families supported. They want to see local businesses, sports clubs and schools given the opportunity to develop. H…

I am very grateful to be able to speak about Pride in the Chamber because it means so much to so many people. It is a celebration of love, identity, courage and hope. However, it is also a reminder of the journey that has brought us here and the responsibility we all share to continue to build a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society. I am proud to speak about Pride because it represents something much bigger that a parade or celebration. It represents the freedom to live openly, honestly and authentically, as w…

I raise the ongoing challenge of providing adequate home support hours to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Every week, families across Carlow and Kilkenny contact my office after being told that approved hours cannot be delivered because there simply are not enough carers available. Older people and people with disabilities are being left without the support they need to remain safely and independently in their own homes. In many cases, family members are forced to step in, often at considerab…

Last night in Kilkenny we had a very special evening when Eamon Langton was conferred with the honour of becoming a freeman of Kilkenny city. Mr Langton has been a champion of Kilkenny city for decades and has been a brilliant ambassador for all things that are great in Kilkenny, be that the Kilkenny hurling team and his support, tourism and employment. He has been absolutely fantastic. He joins a very exclusive club that includes Éamon de Valera, Constance Markievicz, Brian Cody and Eddie Keher. Eamon Langton is a…

Will the Government establish new designated parking bays at motorway junctions to support car-pooling and curtail rising costs for commuters? The basic infrastructure to support car-pooling does not exist in many parts of the country. Motorists are already using motorway junctions as informal meeting points. They pull in on hard shoulders in Paulstown, Mullinavat, Castledermot, Knocktopher and Danesfort. Provision of spaces with safe access, lighting and basic security would immediately reduce dangerous stopping p…

The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, VFI, AGM took place last week at Mount Wolseley in my constituency. The message coming directly from publicans is that rural pubs are under enormous pressure. Closures are accelerating year after year. Since 2005, more than 2,200 pubs have closed across the country. More worrying again is that the rate of closure is increasing, with approximately 128 pubs closing every year. We have to be honest about what that means for rural Ireland. When a pub closes in a village or small tow…

I appreciate the response but this issue requires a stronger sense of urgency from the Government because the trend lines are moving in the wrong direction. We are seeing more than 120 pubs close every year in this country. Once these businesses disappear from rural communities, they very rarely come back. What concerns many publicans is that although Government policy increasingly recognises the cultural and economic importance of pubs in theory, that recognition is not translated into practical support measures t…

I acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our gardaí across the country. Day in and day out they serve communities with professionalism and dedication, often under significant pressure and with limited resources. The increase in Garda recruitment and investment in recent years is welcome and appreciated. However, rural communities still feel they are not seeing the benefit of the investment on the ground. The issue is not simply Garda numbers; it is the geographical spread of resources. Too many rural towns and…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Agriculture and Food pursuant to Standing Orders 187.

Across rural Ireland family-run pubs are under severe pressure from rising energy bills, insurance costs, staffing shortages and reduced footfall. In many villages and small towns, the local pub is more than a business, it is a social hub, a meeting place and an important part of community life. The Vintners' Federation of Ireland is calling for the Government to introduce a new targeted tax credit, which would be linked to draught products and capped at €20,000 per premises. I strongly support this request, and I …

Will the Government support the VFI proposal to-----

Irish unity is now moving from an aspiration to a live constitutional question. The responsibility on the Government is to ensure we are not just commenting on that reality but actively preparing for it in a serious and structured way. If unity is to be achieved, it will not emerge from sentiment alone. It will require detailed constitutional, economic, health, educational and governance planning. This is not about accelerating a process. Rather, it is about ensuring readiness for one of the most significant consti…