Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh le gach éinne a ghlac páirt in eagrú an 1,000ú imleabhar agus leis na scríbhneoirí go léir a chuir tuairiscí na Dála le chéile ar feadh na nglúnta. Is cuimhin liom, fadó, nuair a bhí mé i mo mhac léinn, rinne mé roinnt taighde agus bhain mé an-tairbhe agus an-taitneamh as a bheith ag léamh an méid atá sna himleabhair seo.

I thank all involved. Sometimes, perhaps, generations of people do not realise that the cornerstone of our democracy is the written record of the Dáil. It is fantastic that we have such a lengthy record in bound volumes of what has been said in Dáil Éireann ó thosach. It is something we should celebrate. The concept of something said on the record has been important, almost sacrosanct. It is an essential ingredient of a parliamentary democracy, and our parliamentary democracy is one of the oldest in the world. We should celebrate that fact, given the growing authoritarianism all over the world. I salute all involved in putting the Official Report together over the years. I availed of it as a young student many years ago and got great joy from reading it. When one reads the Official Report of the Dáil, sometimes one wanders and one reads stuff that one is not meant to be reading or that is not pertinent to one's research, but it is highly entertaining. I put that on the record and note the significance of what you have articulated, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

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