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

What amazes me is that the election took place on 18 December 1918 and the Dáil was founded on 21 January 1919. They recorded every word spoken that day.

It was a proper Parliament constructed along parliamentary lines, despite the fact that most of the leaders were in prison. They did all the job right, as any parliament would, which was an amazing achievement in just over a month. When we compare that bureaucratic achievement to the difficulties in setting up a committee, the mind boggles. We think we are making progress in this country-----