Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Recently, a number of Viking bodies have been found there. I have suddenly become very aware of heritage and history. Even where my parents were married 59 years ago today, the church of Saints Michael and John, is very much a historical site. Despite what some colleagues might think or perceive I do, I have a great interest in old Dublin and in history.

When people think about Tallaght, they think about the Square, the hospital, the civic centre, the institute of technology, the national basketball arena and all the buildings one would expect to find in a new town. However, Tallaght did not fall out of the sky 20 or so years ago. It has a rich history and heritage. There are a number of historical sites there, such as the Katherine Tynan site in Kingswood.

While I am no expert on the business before us, I have an understanding and appreciation of it. I have been interested in a number of the contributions to this debate. Some of them have been along the usual lines of having a go at the Government for the sake it.

See this speech in context