Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the former deputy First Minister a speedy recovery I have met him a few times and I have always enjoyed my engagement with him. I ask Teachta Adams to bring the good wishes of all of us back to him this evening.

We are in a very dicey situation and we cannot go back to the past as it is not an option. We have to be positive and look forward. The elections are in place but it is a pity they are happening. I have enjoyed many trips to Northern Ireland over the years and I have worked with different people up there.

We have to salute Colum Eastwood for bringing out the cash for ash scandal. It is a pity the scandal has resulted in a dash for votes. We cannot lecture the people in the North on how to conduct their elections but I hope it will not be too divisive. I remember standing on the wall outside Glaslough in County Monaghan looking into Lord Caledon's estate and the estate of Lord Brookeborough, now Viceroy Brookeborough, was mentioned here. I do not know who gained from this but there should be an inquiry as we do not want to see scandals which hurt the economy. We do not want sectarian decisions but the cuts to the Irish language programmes were very sad. We can all rub our hands here but it is only two or three months ago that I raised the cuts to the cursaí Gaeilge. There have been huge cuts ansan. Thankfully the Government has listened and given back some funding for Irish language here but we cannot say the elections are for suas an bóthar - we have to look into our own hearts and Sinn Féin have to do so as well because they have implemented cuts in the North while coming down here to play a different card.

I have respect for Teachta Adams but he would do better to take a leaf out of Martin McGuinness's book by admitting his past. There is no shame in it and it is part of the past of all of us. My late father was involved in the same struggle and there is no point in continuously denying it. Martin McGuinness said he was involved and he tried very hard with Dr. Paisley. History has been too kind to Dr. Paisley because I remember being up there as a young man ag lorg bean cheile. I found one and she is still with me after 34 years but I remember Dr. Paisley's bellowing voice from 300 yards away where he was giving one of his bullish sectarian speeches. I do not want to speak ill of the dead and I have a good enough relationship with his son but history has been too kind to him.

I have enjoyed my time on the British-Irish Parliamentary Body and a lot of progress was made. I pay tribute to Bertie Ahern in this respect. He left his own mother's graveside to keep the Good Friday Agreement together. I do not want to be critical of the Taoiseach but someone like that is missing today. My former colleague, Dr. Martin Mansergh, had a huge role as he was able to get in doors, behind the walls of houses and have tea in kitchens with people whom it was very important to meet. He told me some of the stories of his encounters and he was a tremendous asset. I am sure his offices remain open for these purposes.

After the shouting and the rumpus of the election, which will be a long campaign by any standards, and after 3 March cad a dhéanfaimidh ansin? It will be back to a polarised situation. The last thing we want is direct rule, especially after Brexit and listening to the Prime Minister, Mrs. May, this morning. She does not give a hoot about Northern Ireland, or Southern Ireland, and it is time our Taoiseach sat up and listened and accepted that. All the nice platitudes, the fancy talk and the telephone calls have been ignored. It is time we tell our colleagues in Europe, who were supposed to have been good to us but never were as far as I am concerned, to stand up and let us know that Northern Ireland is going to be out on a limb, in spite of the democratic deficit given that the majority voted to remain in Europe. I could never understand how First Minister Arlene Foster and the DUP campaigned on this as they were cutting off their nose to spite their face but people voted in that way as well.

I want to go back to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I was in Dublin on the day of the bombings. There has been a lack of justice and truth in the lack of an inquiry into the bombings. I want to go back to Gordon Wilson and Enniskillen and to the Omagh bomb in particular. I was on my way to Omagh with my family that day but we did not arrive because the young chap was unwell and did not want to travel so we arrived the morning after. I met Mo Mowlam and Prince Charles on that day around the streets outside the cordon. Michael Gallagher and his organisation have been abandoned by the Government, and by the Taoiseach especially, who pointed to him at a Fine Gael Ard-Fheis and told him he would get justice from him, having not got it from Fianna Fáil. He has had no justice and has met the Taoiseach just once here in the corridor after hours of waiting.

Those families need justice, as do all the 39 people including an unborn child who lost their lives. It is sad because the family of John White from Tipperary are friends of mine. There need to be no more cover-ups and that bomb should never have got to Omagh that day. Anybody who is in politics here knows what went on. I have visited the centre of the organisation many times and have invited its members to the Gallery. I asked the Taoiseach, on Leaders' Questions, to look up and wave at people he could not meet for two years despite his so-called open door policy. We need to be honest and straight and have a bothar díreach. We need to do some soul-searching and we cannot be selective. I listened to Teachta Adams inviting us all up to take part. It is not a day for scoring points but we all have to be careful of what we say. I hope the election will be calm and cool and that there will be a lot of reflection so that we can have power sharing after 3 March. If we do not we are facing into the abyss.

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