Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to spend my two minutes in thought for the people of Türkiye and Syria and what they are going through.The Cathaoirleach was with me on a delegation which met a Turkish delegation from the petitions committee in the House last week. We had a lovely time and we expressed a lot of views and shared opinions. I found the delegation to be really nice people and it was nice to share thoughts and ideas. Members may remember that there was an interpreter present called Asli who lives in Dublin but is obviously Turkish. I sent her a message the day after the earthquake expressing hope that her family were okay and everything was okay in her region. She sent back the following heartbreaking text:

Thank you so much. My mum is missing, our baby nephew is dead, my cousins are dead, my uncle is dead. Time is passing. It is very cold. Our house has turned into dust.

She was a most helpful lady, as the Cathaoirleach saw. It is so sad. It will rest in everybody's mind how these poor people have been utterly devastated.

It was nice to see on our main news last night the Turkish embassy and its staff saying how great the Irish are. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, through the Government, has offered €2 million in aid. I hope it will offer a lot more. Really and truly, we all have to reflect on those poor people and the way their lives have been utterly wrecked and their families taken away like that. It is shocking and savage in a very uncertain world. I dedicate my two minutes today to the poor people in Türkiye and Syria and what they are going through.