Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Minister's answer but I am still disappointed. There is an old saying in Irish - ná déan nós agus ná bris nós. Do not make a habit and do not break a habit. The Minister will get all sorts of special pleading from very powerful elite groups like universities. The Famine commemoration is meant to be about the communities. When the first committee met, it purposely decided not to have a fixed location because every community in Ireland suffered. Some of the more isolated communities had the most harrowing experiences. That is why they are now isolated, because they lost so much of their populations. I regret the decision but I accept it. I look forward to the commemoration in Connacht the following year. It might be an idea to pick a Gaeltacht area in 2019 for the very simple reason that the demise of the Irish language can be very directly attributed to the Famine. There has been academic work on this issue. The language's decline was absolutely spectacular from the year 1841 onwards. To make up it up to the people of Connacht, the Minister might suggest a Gaeltacht area in 2019 to the committee. I know she has influence on the committee.