Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, I thank Ms O’Donnell for her work. We are all sitting in a better country, in a better Ireland and with a better future because of the agreement and the peace process. When Ms O’Donnell made her opening statement, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up because I could feel myself being moved by it. I was only young then but I could feel myself back in the moment and I could understand the dynamics. We all have a picture in our heads of the huddle around the camera and of what came before that. The vision I have goes back 25 years. We have been reminded of the exhaustion, the exhilaration, the desperation and everything. It was great to listen to Ms O’Donnell and to read her contribution.

I have a number of questions. Ms O’Donnell mentioned that the unionists seemed to be, and were in fact, negotiating down. Does she believe that is part of the problem where we are now? Do they still have that mentality that this is about giving up, even though everyone has pain? There is much more to gain from getting on with it and, more appropriately, accepting that things change and always have to change.

I will move now to my second point. I have a few, so I ask Ms O’Donnell to bear with me. Research over the years shows that when women who are committed to peace are involved in peace processes and in conflict resolution, those processes last longer, are more successful and are stronger. Does Ms O’Donnell believe there is a place now for a similar approach, just in a different time, and for a similar body of women or women’s coalition, or has the process moved on to a different point in time? An agreement would never have been made with all women or with all men - there are unique differences between us - but I have no doubt about the contribution of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, which Ms O’Donnell mentioned. I ask her for her opinion on that.

The politics of 2023 is very vicious. There is vicious debate online and in the media. Sometimes sound action is lost in the soundbite. We need to start pulling back from the move towards the two-minute clip in the media or on the Twitter account. That applies not just to this discussion but also to our aspirations for reunification, our desire to remain in the EU or whatever it is. We need to move back from that. We must have the maturity and confidence to be able to move towards sound action and to forget about the soundbite.

I would like to pick up on what Ms O’Donnell said in response to Dr. Farry's questions about the reform of the institutions. Sometimes I believe we are very privileged down here in Dublin to have a functioning democracy.

We have an Opposition and a Government. If the Government or Opposition does not show up, the institutions work. We have a mature Government and State. Ms O'Donnell mentioned that the parties in the North would need to agree for there to be change. There is always a fall-back in Westminster and Dublin and then it is for people to come in and fix things, but Dublin and Westminster cannot fix them. They cannot fix what needs to be homegrown and on their doorstep. What are Ms O'Donnell's thoughts on that? There is no real answer because it is not for us to "other" other parties and tell them to sort themselves out. Even though we might want a functioning democracy in the North, we are not getting it.