Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Déanaim comhghairdeachas leis an Taoiseach, an Aire agus an Rialtas as ucht an éacht atá déanta acu anocht. Amach anseo agus an Taoiseach i mbun machnaimh ar a thréimhse mar Thaoiseach, tá súil agam go mbreathnóidh sé siar ar an oíche thar a bheith stairiúil seo mar cheann de na buaicphointí dá thréimhse mar Thaoiseach. To misquote Yeats, when you are old and grey and nodding by the fire I am sure you will take down, not a book, but the transcript of today's debate and count it as one of the high points of your career as Taoiseach.

The Taoiseach and his Government deserve credit for having the confidence and the courage to take this step. I must also extend congratulations to the Travellers who are in the Visitors Gallery and to the international organisations that have forced all of us to grow up. Less than a week ago the Government was before the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and was asked specific questions as to why it had not taken this step to give recognition to Travellers. It was about to face legal action from the European Commission for not taking action but, notwithstanding all of that, it deserves congratulations.

This is a start. I will not go into the recent figures from several reports, particularly from the ESRI, as this is an evening to celebrate. However, we cannot forget the statistics and as a Galway politician I am acutely conscious that elected members of the city council in Galway have failed to take their courage in their hands and pass a Traveller accommodation plan. This is not because of malice but because they lack the courage to face what it means in terms of votes. It helps us to face our own prejudices to look in the mirror and see what is reflected back at us. In terms of how we treat Travellers, our record is not very good. I pay tribute to the committees that have looked at this and a report of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality stated that Travellers were a de factoseparate ethnic group. It stated, "This is not a gift to be bestowed upon them, but a fact the State ought to formally acknowledge, preferably by way of a statement by the Taoiseach to Dáil Éireann".

In various contributions to the committees I have mentioned, the Taoiseach said there were no cost implications from recognition but that it was historic and symbolic. However, there will be cost implications and that is something we must embrace. There will be implications for providing appropriate accommodation throughout the country.

We cannot let tonight go without reflection on Carrickmines and the ten people who lost their lives there - five adults, five children and an expectant mother - in November 2015. We have taken action in the form of an audit of all sites throughout the country but it has not been completed and the recommendations of the audit have not been implemented. That is a reflection on all of us.

We have more to learn from our differences and absolutely nothing to be afraid of. I think there is a lesson to be learned. In ainneoin na ndifríochtaí go léir, tá go leor le foghlaim againn ón Lucht Siúil atá anseo anocht agus ó na daoine a thagann go dtí an tír seo as tíortha eile.

Our fear is based on our own lack of confidence in ourselves. The more that we grow confident in our own identity, the more we are able to embrace others. We have taken a step here in doing that. I hope it is a start for the way we treat people who are coming to our country under the most appalling circumstances. They can only enrich the country.

Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Taoiseach, leis an Rialtas, leo siúd ón Lucht Siúil atá san Áileár Poiblí agus leis na daoine a bhí ag na cruinnithe agus a chur brú orainn é seo a dheanamh ach atá lasmuigh den Teach anocht.

See this speech in context