In the past week, Jack Charlton was laid to rest and the East Belfast GAA club was officially launched. One may initially feel that those two events do not have an awful lot in common but there is a common denominator: they did, and will, bring people together. Sport brings people together. It has a dividend in a sense of community, health and mindfulness. It also has a business dividend because sport is an employer and a revenue generator. Sport brings people together. Some Munster, Connacht and Leinster fans visi…

I welcome the Minister and wish him well in his new post. Objectively, and to give credit where credit is due, as an Opposition spokesperson he won the confidence of people on the front line, not only his supporters. They believe in Stephen Donnelly. They believe he understands the intricacies and challenges and they are backing the Minister to make a difference. In the past we have had not so much false dawns as perhaps the tying of hands. Today we are faced with a Bill on free access to universal healthcare. Who …

Is mór an onóir í labhairt leis an Seanad don chéad uair inniu. I dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le mo bhean chéile, Hilda, m’iníon, Jules, agus mo mhac, Jack Vincent Pepper, as ucht an tacaíocht a thug siad dom. Gabhaim míle buíochas freisin le muintir Chill Dara Thuaidh agus go háirithe le muintir an Chomhaontais Ghlais, na Kildare Greens. Gan iad, ní bheinn anseo inniu. As Members of the Upper House, we bring our ideals, experience, vigilance and intelligence to the legislative process. That is especially importan…