Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a matter that I find difficult. Ireland is renowned for its peacekeeping and we should be very proud of our achievements. The peacekeeping college that we have in the Curragh has done tremendous work in educating those from other countries who wish to learn how we perform our peacekeeping duties. It is a skill in itself. We do not go in with heavy armour but with trained individuals whose practices in how to engage in peacekeeping have been handed down over many years. It is fascinating to see Irish troops in places like Lebanon. My wife came with me when I was Minister and she was taken by people in the Defence Forces to visit homes and talk to people. This is the sort of thing that Ireland is expert at, yet I never hear our peacekeeping college being spoken about enough to educate people that we have this expertise. I had a very bad experience which I will not go into here in public, but it is not appreciated. We have got into this European habit of seeking greater co-ordination on security and we seem to be protecting ourselves and Europe instead of looking at how we can influence peacekeeping throughout the world. It is very important to us and it is part of the goals that Mr. Donoghue is talking about.