Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. Ar an gcéad dul síos, I echo what Deputy Niamh Smyth said about an Gaillimh aréir. I congratulate craobh Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann i gCathair Dún Iascaigh, the Cahir branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Mícheál and Mary Harty on hosting a wonderful traditional music festival is Cathair Dún Iascaigh last weekend. It is through festivals like this that our culture, music, song and dance are nurtured. It is very important that we support those and I compliment Mícheál and Mary Harty on their tremendous work on an ongoing basis.

There is palpable anger and frustration in rural communities at the way the Minister just drove a coach and four through the regulations that were debated here for more than a year, passed by this House and the Seanad and signed into law by the President. This July, the Minister decided to scrap those rules, which allow for hedge cutting in the interest of health and safety and things like that, instead of initiating legislation which was passed here in 2018.

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