Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is mór an trua é go bhfuil daoine ar nós na n-iar-Sheanadóirí, Labhrás Ó Murchú, Paschal Mooney agus Donie Cassidy, imithe as Pháirtí Parlaiminte Fhianna Fáil. It would be a different story if they were here. It is a pity the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, because of the Whip system, is not allowed to support his good friends and the culture which he and I love and pay for. We have a new censor here in Dáil Éireann tonight. Deputy Lawless is the new censor for music in Ireland and what we can do.

I am disappointed, to say the least, that the party of which my father was a founding member and of which I was a member of all my life cannot support something as noble as this. I salute Deputy Penrose and his colleagues on bringing this forward. I would not ask why they did not do it in the past five years. They did not do it and that is fine. They are doing it now and it is needed. We should be proud of our Irish culture and our heritage. We should play it and support it. We might not get it from the national broadcasting services but we get it from our local radio stations. I salute Tipp FM radio and Tipperary Mid West Radio and all the good people there and the work they do, including the Tony Brooke show and many others.

I commend Paschal Mooney - God be with him - and his country music shows that we all listen to. He is still alive thank God. Fianna Fáil might have a different parliamentary party. Was this discussed at the parliamentary party? If it was, I do not know what Fianna Fáil is thinking about. Where is the culture, heritage, dúchas, faith and passion? Tá sé imithe. It is like, "Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan adhmad?" It looks like it is, "Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan Fianna Fáil?" now. We will have different things again tomorrow. It is like Kieran Hanrahan and "Céilí House" - around the house and mind the dresser. Fianna Fáil members go around all the houses, yet they mind no one. They mind themselves as far as I can see.

I support this Bill. I welcome all the good people to the Public Gallery. I love Irish heritage - the music, song and dance. I am an all-Ireland champion set dancer. I cannot dance tonight here because there is no one to play the tune. B'fhéidir go mbeidh rince againn tar éis an oíche seo in áit eile.

We were told what happens in the US and the UK. I say to hell with the US and the UK. There is too much influence from those places coming in here. We need our culture, identity and heritage. I salute groups such as Clannad, Bachelors in Trouble, the Morrisseys and the former Senator Donie Cassidy. They composed a song, "Arise and Follow Charlie". If he was here I do not know what he would do with the Fianna Fáil Deputies. He would throw them all out in the yard somewhere. That is what happened in those times but now we are here and we are left with this. It is good legislation. It may not be perfect but it can be amended.

I was delighted to meet Deputy Penrose at the Fleadh Cheoil in Ennis with his young kids ag rince set agus ag rince fóirne. Bhí mo chlann ann freisin. I commend the work of former Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú who was ardstiúrthóir of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann agus a bhean chéile, Una, and the sterling work they have done for decades in the cultural centre in Tipperary, Brú Ború and elsewhere. They promoted our culture and heritage nakedly and unashamedly and supported young students who came out of college after studying art when nobody else would do it and when it was not popular to do so.

I danced to Big Tom at the carnival in Scotstown and I enjoyed it. I am not ashamed of it. They might say I am a Neanderthal or a caveman. That is not so long ago. Our culture is what we have to hold dearly and celebrate. I love listening to the Bachelors in Trouble. I wish them well and like their satire. It is very important. I like Deputy Penrose's good friend, Johnny Mac from Tipperary. They get together in the cornfields and make videos down in Maryville house in the plush, green Golden Vale of Tipperary.

If we do not support our own, we support nothing. I support Deputy Penrose. I do not know the Government's opinion on the Bill. I have not heard yet from the Minister. He is interested and has young kids himself. I will mention the Clancy Brothers, Stephen Donnelly in Clonmel and Paddy O'Brien. Rinne na fir sin an-obair thar na blianta ar fud an domhain. They danced all over the world. They brought Ireland and its culture to the people of the world. Afterwards there was U2 and all the other bands that are doing so well. We had all the rumpus last year about bringing your man into Croke Park and asking if he would come.

Anywhere in any town or village, we will get young people to dance, we will get a man to play a tune on the fiddle, ar an bhfeadóg nó rud éigin mar sin agus beidh an-chraic againn. That is our culture. That is what purists abroad want to see. They want us to have it here played on our radio. They do not want to listen to other stuff. When they come to Ireland and go into a hotel, pub or go into get their hair cut, they want the Irish music and culture played and listened to. They do not just want stuff coming from abroad. That is good as well and we cannot close our mind to it but we have to get back to our roots. I do not know where the Deputies' roots are gone but, by God, they are short green shoots. They need to get some 10-10-20 or some kind of fertiliser to see if they can stimulate them again. They have lost their way in a lot of cases.

I heard Deputy Murphy - I know the work he does on his radio station - lecturing people across the way. None of us can be proud. We all make mistakes but we all have an onus to cherish our culture, heritage, faith and dúchas and to support it and young groups like Caladh Nua from Ballymacarbry who won national awards last year.

They are a great group of young people from Contae Thiobraid Árann, Cluain Meala agus Baile Mhac Cairbre i gContae Phort Láirge. The talent oozes from them. They love it. They do not cost a bob to anyone but their parents. We are not charging anybody for this. It is not like Uisce Éireann, which Deputy Lawless mentioned. We have enough of talking about Irish Water. Let us talk about what is good for us, what we enjoy and what we love. Let us celebrate our culture and heritage. We should be allowed to do so. A quota of 40% is not too much. Let us compel our radio stations to play more and to be proud of it, not all the foreign influences we have and the diatribe that comes on some of the stations some of the time.

The group is called Caladh Nua. It is a lovely new group. People should go out and get their CD and listen to it. Those who do buy it will be dancing around the Christmas table with the turkey in their hands and they might spill the cranberry sauce if they are not careful. The music is stimulating and invigorating. It is what we are. It is what we come from. It is where we came from, what we are proud of and what we want to have. I do not want any party in this House seeking to do down Deputy Willie Penrose or anybody else. Goodness knows, we are downtrodden enough since the recession and everything the troika says we cannot do. This is something we can do, we are able to do and we want to do. Let us do it. Let us celebrate what we are and our culture. We should bring back the likes of former Senators Labhrás Ó Murchú and Donie Cassidy to give people, particularly those who oppose the Bill, pep talks on what can be done.

This is good legislation. Deputy Penrose is not infallible. He has a legal background and I have admired many of the Bills he has brought forward. I admired him when he stood up for his local barracks and his people and gave up his super junior Cabinet post. He is not a man for himself but a man of the people and a man of culture. I will not say that he is a man of history, given that he is still with us, but he will leave behind a proud legacy. Let us all consider the Bill and embrace it. The Minister, Deputy Denis Naughten is part of the rural group of Independents and I hope he will support it.

The House will be sitting tomorrow. As I said during the debate on post offices, we should use our culture, music, dance, literature, history and arts, or we will lose them. It is a case of "Use it or lose it". We have lost a great deal. Thanks are due to all the good people in the Public Gallery, their families and supporters for all the employment they give driving vans to bring the people who provide background music to the hotels and marquees. Use it or lose it. Go n-éirí an t-ádh leis an mBille.

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