Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for facilitating discussion of this issue and for being understanding last week as well in postponing it until this week due to the death of Deputy O'Keeffe's mother.

There is significant concern about this motorway, which has been long flagged. It is a connection between the west and the rest of the motorway network. There has been much talk about it and many plans have been drawn up in regard to it. The main point we wish to make is one Deputy O'Keeffe and I raised a few weeks ago on Leaders' Questions, namely, the suggested rerouting of the motorway up to Cahir and not going through north Cork, which leaves places such as north Cork, Charleville, Buttevant, Mallow, west Limerick and north Kerry completely out of the loop. I do not know who came up with that idea, whether it was someone within the National Transport Authority or the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, but it is ludicrous to allow the area to be without connectivity.

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