Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Today we stand on the brink of a new Ireland where people are equal as citizens. That did not just happen by chance. I pay tribute to people such as former Senator, Joe O’Toole, a former general secretary, John Carr, and others in the INTO who have led the campaign to bring about this change. I agree with Deputy Spring that leaders are required to bring about change. The Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, in government are those leaders who propelled and brought this vehicle of legislative change to the floor of the House. Let us cast our minds back to what happened this year; we had the referendum on marriage equality, the Gender Recognition Bill, and the amendment of section 37 of the Employment Equality Act, all momentous achievements, along with the Children and Family Relationships Act. They are momentous legacies that we in this House can leave behind, no matter who we are. That is why it is important when we reflect on where we are coming from and where we go to that it is about the type of Ireland we want to see for emigrants and those who live in this country. Those of us who had the luxury of being able to come out and to be able to live a full life are grateful to those who left but who encouraged us.

I have many friends who left this country not because they wanted to but because they could not live a free and open life here. Today, another chapter has been written in a different type of Ireland and that is why it is important to commend those who have worked so hard to bring the change set out in this piece of legislation to the House. I commend the Minister of State on the work he has done.

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