Mr. Aidan O'Driscoll:

I do not wish to say anything that will exacerbate circumstances or heighten the atmosphere on Achill Island - on the contrary. I am sure the Senator has visited Achill Island, as have I, and it is a beautiful place. I have always found people there to be very welcoming There are different views on Achill Island. What is being reported is just one set of views. Others have begun to express their views more recently, which I welcome.

I hope we will be able to deal with the fears people have. Even if they do not have substantive foundation, I hope we can nonetheless deal with them and move on, getting people into the hotel without them feeling any sense of fear because of what is happening.