Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Of course the Deputy would say that. It was actions such as that which led directly to the foundation of this State. Except for actions of that type, the Minister's grandfather, Eoin MacNeill, would never have been a Cabinet Minister and neither would there have been an opportunity for this Minister to participate in an Irish Cabinet. These are, perhaps, unpalatable facts for many Deputies in the House to accept, but they must be acknowledged if this debate is to have any basis in reality. There should be no hierarchy of victims and in all this the focus should be on rebuilding the peace process so that never again will any person die as a result of armed or political conflict in this country. It is probably too much to hope that the Minister might share in the active pursuit of that objective, but I still invite him to join us in this effort.

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