Mr. Ciaran Staunton:

Tá fáilte romhaibh.. This is the first time that a discussion like this has taken place. On our way in we looked at documents. We also read the Proclamation that has the words "her exiled children" that everyone knows. The words are particularly poignant as last year was the 100th anniversary. Our exiled children are still our children. What if Connolly, MacBride and Collins, to name but a few, landed here today?

What would happen if James Connolly arrived with his family, if Thomas Clarke arrived after living in Long Island for many years, if the bold Mick Collins arrived back after working in London for many years or if a famous guy came back from England and ended up in farming? What about the great old Brian Cowen who laboured in New York for a couple of years and came back? As he put it, he was still washing dust off himself after he arrived without party or anything. I hate to use the term "out of sight, out of mind" and I hate to use analogies. What Safe Home Ireland has proved is that there is a way around it. My Dad had a great saying - "where there's a will, there's a way". If you have the will, you will find the way and if you do not have the will, you will never find the way. What we have come across is that there is no will and I am not sure where one can take that. It is very disturbing. I lived in London and saw what those people did. I saw them working day in and day out. I see what Jerry Cowley has done in Mulranny. I have seen all the work. I represent many young people but it is very hard when one meets someone who represents many old people who may have sent money and parcels home to Ireland and one tells them one has written to the Minister five times but all that was received was the standard reply. I have written to the Minister who is charge of all these Ministers and I am getting it. The membership of the interdepartmental Government committee may be there on paper but it does not make it. I congratulate this committee on making history. Members should not forget that when history is read down the line, if something was successful, everyone was there but if it was not successful, nobody was. We will get a photograph. I do want it to continue because to date, nobody has ever addressed the rural community. I would like this committee to say: "Let's invite in those communities, let this not be the last but let it be the first, let's keep it out there and let's keep it non-partisan." I thank everybody here. As I always conclude as a Mayo man, we will see you in Croke Park.