Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

It is obvious from the debate that this is a tidying-up Bill. It seems incredible that during the years the issuing of passports has never been put on a statutory footing, but that is what we are doing today. To me and those of my generation, a passport is a significant and important document which should be treated with care. If one comes from a country with a passport system that is widely recognised and held in high esteem, one should take great care of one's passport.

Deputy Timmins spoke about Argentina. I cannot let the opportunity pass without mentioning that it is not just Argentina in which Irish people have made a significant impact. One man from Cork, Daniel Florence O'Leary, emigrated to South America because he was a second son and hence would not inherit the family business. He joined the Hussars and eventually became Simón Bolívar's biographer and second-in-command, accompanying him on all his campaigns in South America, including the liberation of Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and many other areas. For this he is highly regarded in Venezuela. We have not done enough to exploit this Irish connection. O'Leary has two direct descendents, a great-grandson and a great-grandnephew who have the good sense to live in Cork.

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