Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome views from all sides of the House on this issue. As mentioned by several speakers, the Famine is imprinted on each of us in hundreds of ways which we do not even realise. The Irish diaspora were mentioned. There are tens of millions of people with Irish heritage across the globe. Most are there because of the Famine, which began the culture of mass emigration and entrenched it into the Irish psyche for the first time. During the recent economic collapse, hundreds of thousands of young Irish people emigrated to Canada and Australia. That is a cultural trait which originated during the Famine.

It is interesting that many of the illnesses we experience as a society and a people stem from the Famine.

Severe nutritional deprivation can cause what is called epigenetic change. Epigenetics is a study of the expression of genetics and while they do not necessarily involve changes to the genetic code, those changes can be expressed for hundreds of years after a severe jolt to humanity, as happened in the Great Hunger.

With regard to the way we commemorate the Great Famine and to indicate where we are on this, there is an exhibition called Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger on display in Dublin Castle’s Coach House, and it is to be commended. However, the exhibition is only temporary. Its exhibits are on loan from Ireland's Great Hunger Museum in Connecticut. There is an exhibition at the top of St. Stephen’s Green but it is privately run and only open for half the year. The National Famine Museum is located in Strokestown Park, County Roscommon. For the past 35 years it has been sustained almost solely by the private philanthropy of Mr. Jim Callery from the Westward Group.

We are told that until now, there has been a variability regarding the dates of the commemoration of the Famine due to the difficulty in synchronising the diaries of important people in the country such as the Taoiseach and the President but, in fairness, this issue is far more important than the diary of any individual citizen here. That has to be taken into consideration.

Ní féidir é seo a fhágáil idir dhá cheann na meá a thuilleadh. Is é an Gorta Mór an ócáid ba thromchúisí is ba thábhachtaí a thit amach i stair na hÉireann sa naoú haois déag. Díreach cúpla glún ó shin bhí muintir na hÉireann faoi scáth uafáis doshamhlaithe. D’athraigh an tír ó bhonn go barr. Chailleamar caoga fán gcéad de dhaonra na tíre – d’éag milliún agus chuaigh 3 mhilliún ar imirce i rith aimsir an Ghorta agus sna deicheanna ina dhiaidh sin.

Tá oidhreacht an Ghorta Mhóir go smior i gcultúr, i dteanga agus i sícé na hÉireann. Tá sé deacair a chreidiúint ach ó thaobh daonra de, fiú níl Éire tar éis teacht chuici féin, ó thionchar an Drochshaoil sin.

Ceann de na gnéithe is suntasaí faoin nGorta ná an tost marfach a tháinig sna sála air. Ní labhraítí faoin uafás ó ghlún go glún ag an am. I mo thuairimse is é sin na tréithe céanna atá taobh thiar ceann den chiúnas Stáit atá ann mar gheall ar an gcomóradh sin agus is iad na tréithe sin ata ag cur faitíos ar an tír seo comóradh cuí a dhéanamh ar an rusd uafásach tábhachtach seo. Ba cheart dúinn mar thír níos a dhéanamh de bharr meas a thaispeáint do na glúine a fuair bás agus na glúine a bhí ar imirce amach as an tír seo. Tá níos mó le déanamh againn mar chun tuiscint níos fearr a bheith againn mar thír mar dhaonra mar chultúr freisin.

Tá sé ríthábhachtach go mbeadh an spás agus na deiseanna cuí againn le machnamh a dhéanamh ar an Gorta mar náisiúin. Ní hé le cuimhneacháin a dhéanamh orthu siúd a cailleadh go tubaisteach amháin, ach le tuiscint níos doimhne a chothú dúinn féin.

Bhí díomá orainn go raibh neart imeartas polaitíochta le feiceáil leis an Bille seo. Ba chóir go mbeadh gach páirtí ag obair le chéile agus tacaíocht tras-phairtí a bheith againn. Chuir mise a chuir an Bille seo os comhair na Dála i mí na Nollag 2016. Ar chúis éigin, chuir Teachta Dála as Fine Gael an Bille céanna os comhair na Dála. Is cuma faoi sin, ba cheart dúinn tacaíocht a thabhairt don dá Bhille, i mo thuairim. Ba cheart dúinn dul ar aghaidh mar Oireachtas iomlán ar an rud seo.

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le gach páirtí agoi bhfuilimid tagtha ar an gciniúint thábhachtach seo. Ach i mo thuairim, ní féidir linn é a fhágáil don Aire nó don Teachta Dála Brophy. Ba cheart dúinn mar pháirtí bheith cinnte go bhfuil an rud seo chun bheith curtha isteach i dlí na tíre seo. Dá bharr sin, táimid i Sinn Féin lán sásta an Bille seo a bhrú ar aghaidh. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil Fianna Fáil ag tabhairt tacaíochta don Bhille seo, agus míle buíochas d'Fhianna Fáil as é seo a dhéanamh. Beidh deis againn an dá Bhille, b'fheidir, a phlé ag Céim an Choiste agus beidh deis againn aon athrú cuí a dhéanamh ar an mBille sin ag an am. Le cúnamh Dé, i gceann bliana, beidh sé seo deimhnithe agus ni bheidh an fhadhb ann, níos mó. Go raibh míle maith agat.

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