Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputy Ó Broin.

There are approximately 70 million citizens across the globe who claim Irish roots and a link to Ireland. While it is a small island, we are a considerable nation scattered across the continents.

Over the centuries, generations of Irish have been forced to leave our homeland to find work and the opportunities to make a better future for their families. Ireland, like most colonised nations, was robbed of its potential and resources by British imperialism's economic and social policies. This forced millions of Irish people to travel to the furthest parts of the globe in search of liberty, freedom and a better life for their children.

We are immensely proud of our diaspora who have braved the enormous challenge of emigrating and who have built for themselves a home in a new land. Over the years, past generations of emigrants have contributed significantly to their new adopted nations. Our diaspora has rightly earned a reputation for hard work and diligence and it has excelled in the fields of the arts, sports, music, politics, education, business and philanthropy. No matter where they have gone, the Irish have left their mark.

Sinn Féin believes much more must be done to develop and strengthen our relationship with the diaspora. We recognise their role in Ireland's freedom struggle and their support, particularly in the USA, for the Irish peace process was a crucial element in its development.

The economic crisis caused by Fianna FáiI-Green Party Government's weak governance combined with the greed and criminality of developers, speculators and certain banks created a lethal cocktail that led to another generation leaving our shores.

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