Mr. Andrew Geary:

The Senator is right, in that it is a cliff-face event when one decides to go to the High Court. Despite my employment and use of courts, the past two years have been the most stressful of my life. One cannot go in there unless one lawyers-up and one has to find the very best legal team. Our legal bills have been agreed, but they are well over €100,000. I will pay interest on that money until the State pays my legal team its fees. There is considerable stress in dealing with that on a day-to-day basis, knowing one's family home is at risk. Unfortunately, my wife and I had to make the decision to put our family home at risk to make sure my deaf son got an education. He deserves it. I do not care if I had to rent for the rest of my life; my son deserves an education.

I am deeply patriotic, as the members know. When I put on my uniform, it is a green jersey. When I see our flag flying, it causes my heart to pound in my chest. I am committed to this democracy and I am very thankful to this House. However, look at section 40 of our Constitution. It is the State's job to vindicate my son's rights. The founders of our Republic did not ask for citizens such as me to vindicate my son's rights. It was the State's job to make sure Calum Geary got an education. It is my job to parent. My wife and I have had to break ourselves backwards to make sure he got an education, despite brilliant teachers. Calum has always had brilliant teachers and schools, but the bridge-builders to his education were not there. I know it, although I am not an expert, because I had to read all the research and hundreds of books. The situation is disappointing. I am a public servant and I have given my life in service of our country. I have nearly been killed on duty. Like every other member, I have risked my life for this beautiful democracy.

We have an amazing democracy here. We should be so proud yet we are forcing the very citizens we are asking our country to cherish to go in and beg for an education. I am here today because of my teachers. I can tell the committee the name of every teacher I have had since I went into primary school. It is thanks to Brother Colm, Mr. Carey in Coláiste Chríost Rí, Professor Joe Lee; any of those amazing teachers. Those people are the reason. Charles Steward Parnell, Thomas Francis Meagher, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty - they are the reason that we put on our uniform, go out in public service and we are so proud of this nation of ours. Our founders asked us to found a country on the principles of a republic. Are we truly a republic? How far have we moved in our 101 years of independence towards being a full republic if a child, one of the innocent children of our State, has to go in and beg for access to his education? Where is the republic in that? How do I ask my son to give service to the State for the rest of his life if the same country I am asking him to pledge his allegiance to will not even give him access to an education?