Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. I loved Mr. Pollak's contribution. As a journalist, he chose his adjectives differently than politicians would. He put a bit more grizzle on them and used a bit more punch. He used the phrase, "Will the people of the Republic be able to stomach the profound changes that are required", be those in respect of flags, anthems or these Parliament Buildings. Deputy Ó Cuív is a member of the Fianna Fáil Party, a long-standing Member of this Parliament and a grandson of Éamon De Valera. He has spoken openly about the fact that he is not tied to items such as anthems, the Tricolour or anything of that nature. He believes in an island that respects everyone. My Irishness is not defined by any of those things. It is defined by my sense of place – I come from the county of Meath, where the high kings of Ireland resided at Tara, a short distance from my house – my culture, my Gaelic games, my music and my language. I am confident of my place, but I often question that in these debates. I recall going to Healy Park in Omagh to see Meath play Tyrone seven years ago. The bus parked a short distance away from the grounds beside a dairy farm. There was a large ceremonial flagpole in the middle of the farm flying a union jack. I looked up and wondered whether the cows even knew they were British or whether they cared.

I welcome Mr. Marshall. I went to the launch of Northern Voices, which the Chairman organised a few weeks ago. Mr. Marshall spoke eloquently that day, as did Mr. Martin McAleese. Mr. Marshall stated that having a debate did not preordain an outcome. Rather, it was a debate on where we all were as a starting point. He spoke about how, when he was elected to the Seanad, he did not know where Leinster House was and needed to google where Kildare Street was. In 2007, I remember being on a peace and reconciliation trip to the Irish Peace Tower at Flanders as a then member of Meath County Council. It was a freezing cold day in March and we met for some soup afterwards. The group beside me was a marching band from the small village of Bready, County Tyrone. I told the band members that I knew it well because, when I was a sports journalist, I used to cover cricket matches at Bready and spent many a pleasant afternoon there. They asked me where I was from. When I said "Navan", they looked at me with glazed expressions. When I said "Meath", their expressions were still glazed. That worried me, although why should they have known those places? I explained about the Battle of the Boyne site and where we were from. This is the journey we are on – we need to have these conversations.

Mr. Moore asked why he would want to change what he had if the change had not been spelled out. I accept that, but coming to Leinster House today is a major step in us talking together, not just about the future, but about the island in the here and now. Maybe Mr. Moore is right and he does not want to change what he has. Maybe many people living in the South do not want that either, just like Ms Grundle's Dublin cousins. They might wonder why they would want the hassle of having to be the governors of co-existence. Maybe that is the type of narrow-mindedness that we have to change in the South by having this discussion. Equally, though, there are people like me, as a Fianna Fáil representative, who want a united Ireland. Mr. Moore spoke about what that would look like. There have been explorations of these issues, many in private, but also in public. I commend the Chairman-----