Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a special shampoo but I will tell members about that later.

We trust in the young people and they are absolutely vital to what happens next on this island. If we get it right, it will be a considerable success. Of course parts of it will be messy, whatever happens next, but we can celebrate in that mess together. It is for all of us on this island, in whatever form or model it takes, to move forward together. If we talk to one another and reach out to each other, it will be a great success. If we do not, I can tell the committee from my experience, here and internationally, that we will have problems. There are unfortunately, in the Republic and in Northern Ireland, some voices who will say it is too soon to talk, ask that we not go there or say that they will not talk or will opt out. That is the antithesis of our future. We must start talking now about our shared future.

I am delighted to see my Northern counterparts here. I learned a great many new words in Northern Ireland such as scundered, foundered and wee spides. Are there any wee spides here? I hope not. The witnesses are very welcome. The educational system is keeping communities apart. Certainly my experience in the 1980s was that there was cross-community mixing in places such as Lavery's Bar and in the university experience. Is that still the case? Is social life in Belfast demarcated along lines or is it completely open?