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Seanad Éireann · 2023-02-08

Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad

FF Fiona O'Loughlin · Administrative Panel

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As Members will be well aware, fuair an iar-Aire agus iar-Bhall den Seanad, Niamh Bhreathnach, bás. Members will be aware that the former Minister and Senator, Niamh Bhreathnach, has died. Ms Bhreathnach was elected the first Labour Party chairwoman in 1990 and was elected a Teachta Dála for Dún Laoghaire in 1992.

Ms Bhreathnach was responsible for the abolition of third-level undergraduate tuition fees and significant increases in education spending, the introduction of the leaving certificate applied programme, which I had the pleasure of teaching, and she made the transition year programme available to all second-level schools. In 1997, Ms Bhreathnach was appointed and nominated by the Taoiseach in the last days of the Twentieth Seanad.

Built by scoring every sentence in the debate on how distinctive its language is, then quoting the highest-scoring ones back word for word and in the order spoken. Nothing is paraphrased or invented — if a sentence appears here, it was said in the chamber. Drawn from 365 words across 2 contributions by 2 speakers.

Most used terms in this debate

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bhreathnach 5
turkish 2
syrian 2
iar-bhall 1
breandáin 1
síghle 1
éadaoin 1
niamh 2
macdara 1
donnellan 1
tom 2
eibhlín 1

The full debate

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CC Jerry Buttimer

As Members will be well aware, fuair an iar-Aire agus iar-Bhall den Seanad, Niamh Bhreathnach, bás. Members will be aware that the former Minister and Senator, Niamh Bhreathnach, has died. She was born in Loughlinstown, Dublin, in 1945. She was one of five daughters born to civil servants, Breandáin Breathnach and Lena Donnellan, from whom she inherited her deep commitment to public service.

Ms Bhreathnach was elected the first Labour Party chairwoman in 1990 and was elected a Teachta Dála for Dún Laoghaire in 1992. She was the first Labour Party politician to hold the post of Minister for Education and she has left an extraordinary legacy of educational reform. Ms Bhreathnach was responsible for the abolition of third-level undergraduate tuition fees and significant increases in education spending, the introduction of the leaving certificate applied programme, which I had the pleasure of teaching, and she made the transition year programme available to all second-level schools.

In 1997, Ms Bhreathnach was appointed and nominated by the Taoiseach in the last days of the Twentieth Seanad. Following her time in the Oireachtas she continued her dedication to public service as a member of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

At this sad time, may I, on my own behalf and that of all of us as Members of Seanad Éireann, wish her family every sympathy. On behalf of all of us, I wish to convey my deepest sympathies to her husband, Tom, her two children, Cliodhna and Macdara, son-in-law Bryan, grandchildren Tom and Alice, sisters Síghle, Fionnuala and Éadaoin, and her many relatives and friends, and members of the Labour Party. She was predeceased by her sister, Eibhlín. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

FF Fiona O'Loughlin this contribution

At the end of the Order of Business I will table a motion for the expressions of sympathy by the House.

It is important that we express our support and solidarity with the Turkish and Syrian people as what has happened in that region is beyond belief. The death toll has reached over 11,000 now and it is felt that the final number could reach as high as 20,000 deaths. Our thoughts, prayers and solidarity are with the Turkish and Syrian people.

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