Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One issue is the consistency of approach in the recognition of the national anthem across Departments. It was touched on in the earlier session. For instance, the Department of the Taoiseach recognises the national anthem, but it does not give due recognition to those responsible for providing it, namely, Peadar Kearney, Patrick Heeney and Liam Ó Rinn who translated it. They are not recognised on the Department of the Taoiseach's official website or the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. While it might appear to be minor, it is a major issue because it relates to recognition. The position should be corrected immediately across all Government websites. It could easily be done today.

The contributions from the schools were interesting and welcome. We live in modern Ireland and there should be an Irish Sign Language, ISL, version of the national anthem. It is wrong that any Irish citizen should feel alienated when the national anthem is played. Can this issue be addressed?

On the copyright issue, after listening to Dr. O'Dell, my preference would be for the national anthem to be enshrined in legislation, as in the case of the American national anthem. I am not sure why there is a resistance in the Department of Finance to going down that road. Is there an particular reason we are opting for copyright protection over legislation? Is there a reason not to take the legislative route to give the national anthem the protection it deserves? The American flag is recognised as a patriotic custom, as the American national anthem. Ours should be also.

I welcome all of the contributions which feed into a wider debate. The process is enlightening. The contributions of the students, in particular, who took time out of their busy schedules coming up to Christmas, were important. I look forward to publication of the committee's report.