Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to welcome Dr. Duncan Morrow whose path has crossed mine on many occasions. I thank him for the work he has done on his important submission. Many of my colleagues and I have been travelling from one meeting or conference to another to discuss Brexit. I thank my colleague, Deputy Declan Breathnach, for acknowledging the work done not only by the Government but also by all parties and Members of the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The circumstances in which we find ourselves are not of our making. I am not sure those who advocated Brexit were sure of what they were fighting to achieve. Nevertheless, we are in a difficult position and must deal with it.

Dr. Morrow appears to believe special status for Northern Ireland is included in the Good Friday Agreement. The Anglo-Irish Agreement, for which the former Taoiseach, the late Dr. Garret FitzGerald was responsible, was a stepping stone to the Good Friday Agreement, which is a wonderful agreement. The European Union should view Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland as a successful project. It has provided billions of euro and acted as a driving force for peace. While we are grateful to the United States and the United Kingdom, in many ways the European Union was the unsung hero of the peace process. Our membership of it was very important and the Union underpinned many of the peace programmes of the past 20 years.

Dr. Morrow spoke about state visits. I recall the Queen's highly significant visit to the Republic in 2011. A remark was made that we had taken our relationship with the United Kingdom very casually before that time. For example, despite the United Kingdom being our largest trading partner, the British Irish Chamber of Commerce was not established until 2011. Ireland probably had joint chambers of commerce with France, Germany and other countries long before we had one with our biggest trading partner. The Queen's visit broke down many barriers. I was in the United Kingdom during the President's visit where I met many Irish people who expressed great pride. My father was one of those who emigrated to the United Kingdom. While I can understand the historical baggage involved in a presidential visit to the United Kingdom, why did it take so long for a President to visit Britain? Will Dr. Morrow elaborate on his statement that Brexit could affect state visits?

I have heard a view expressed that Ireland may have to leave the European Union. That is wishful thinking on the part of some of those who voted for Brexit. It will not happen and should not be part of the discussion. The European Union has been good to Ireland and we will remain a committed member. If only two members of the European Union were left, Ireland would be one of them.