Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, support this important motion. I wish to highlight the awful effects on young people - they are predominantly young - who engage in what we would call antisocial behaviour when fireworks they are using go wrong and they end up in one of our hospitals, perhaps facing a long, painful journey back to good health. At that stage, they may have lost fingers or suffered other horrific injuries, such as injuries to their faces. Nobody wants to see any child or other young person injured. Our supporting this motion is important even if it stops only one young person from getting hurt by using fireworks, which should be used only by people who know what they are doing.

Fireworks are, of course, used at times of celebration. I remember massive fireworks displays at the great Rose of Tralee International Festival. As with everything else in Kerry, we do it better than anyone else in Ireland.

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