Mr. Wally Kirwan:

I see Senator Emer Currie is here. I had a lot to do with Austin Currie over the years. Even in retirement, we used to meet up in Maynooth an odd time - twice a year or something like that. One incident I recall was that, immediately after the Ulster workers strike, we were over at a meeting of the British-Irish Association in either Oxford or Cambridge, and one of the people present was Harry Murray, who had been the chairperson of the committee that presided over the Ulster workers strike, and another one there was Glen Barr, who was involved in that as well. One of the things that happened was a big poker school and I remember Senator Currie’s father playing with these formidable characters who had been in charge of the strike, and there was a kind of macabre joke as to who was going to collect the winnings.

I am sorry Deputy Brendan Smith is not here because he is a wonderful parliamentarian who has been involved in all of the different parliamentary groups between Ireland and Britain over the years. I am sure that, over the years, he fielded, as we did in the Department of the Taoiseach, an avalanche of correspondence relating to the closure of Aghalane Bridge. I was very glad that, after the agreement was reached, Senator George Mitchell flew up by helicopter for the opening of Aghalane Bridge, which, of course, is now called after him. I had the privilege of travelling by helicopter with George Mitchell to that event.

Feicim go bhfuil an Seanadóir Ó Donnghaile anseo agus tá a fhios agam go bhfuil éacht déanta aige siúd maidir le cur ar fáil meánoideachas trí Ghaeilge i gcathair Bhéal Feirste. Tá cumas na Gaeilge ciontach le gur bhuail mé le mo bhean chéile. Bhí mé thuas ansin le haghaidh díospóireachtaí idir-ollscoile agus bhí céilí le bheith ar siúl san ardscoil ag barr Sráid Divis. Bhíomar ag dul timpeall sa charr ag fiafraí cá raibh an high school agus ní fhéadfadh duine ar bith rá linn cá raibh sé ach nuair a chuala siad muid ag caint as Gaeilge sa charr, thuigeadar go raibh muid ag tagairt don ardscoil. Chuaigh mé ar aghaidh ag an gcéilí ansin agus bhuail mé le mo bhean ag an gcéilí sin.