Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to convey congratulations to the Cathaoirleach and state, especially on behalf of the Green Party grouping, how pleased we are to see her accede and to have her elevated to this role today.

I was privileged to have as a lecturer in third level education the late Reverend Micheál Mac Gréil, a famous campaigning sociologist. He said on record many times that the policy of mere assimilation would not work. That policy involves insisting that someone must be like many other people. Dr. Mac Gréil's book, Pluralism & Diversity in Ireland, is about 21st-century Ireland. Chapter 13 is entitled "The Travelling People – Ireland's Apartheid". Dr. Mac Gréil passed away recently. I spoke to him on many occasions and had the privilege of meeting him shortly before he passed away. He spoke very highly of Deputy Ó Cuív, who is here today. Dr. Mac Gréil said we have failed with the policy of assimilation and need integrated pluralism. He said we need integration to have equality of opportunity, equal rights, equal treatment and pluralism. He believed we need to celebrate and embrace people's differences for those who want to stay different. They enrich our community. It is almost ecumenical that if a certain group wants to have the Sabbath on a Thursday or Friday, not a Sunday, one should not stand in its way. In 1983, Dr. Mac Gréil was a witness in Senator Norris's constitutional case against the criminalisation of homosexuality. He denounced homophobia as one of the most invidious prejudices and believed the Catholic Church should review its past relationship with gay people. He was a passionate supporter of minorities and would be very pleased with what has happened today. He paid particular attention to the treatment of Travellers in Ireland and published The Emancipation of the Travelling Peoplein 2010. In the book, he said Ireland's treatment of the Travellers must rank as one of the most serious social embarrassments in the then 86-year history of our independence.

The Chair brings her listening skills to her new role. I can vouch at first hand that she has lit up Seanad Éireann since she became a Member. The good thing about the Chair, despite her first-hand experience, is not that she is exclusively and solely about one minority that is under attack or being undermined; she will prove to be a fair and brilliant advocate for the many other minorities that Dr. Mac Gréil and others spoke about. She is a breath of fresh air. Without putting too much weight on her shoulders, I believe she is the future Mac Gréil, the successor to such advocates on the front line. Today is an important step. Indeed, it is a small piece of history, but it is for naught unless we take the next steps. These will be ably led by Senator Flynn, but she will not be able to do it on her own; we will all have to dig deeper to find a better way forward for a new, more inclusive Ireland. Today is a red-letter occasion and I am delighted to see Senator Flynn in the Chair.