Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with all the previous speakers. I, too, will not vote with the Government on this grouping of amendments. If the Minister looks up at the convention centre stage, he will see the Irish flag. More than 100 years ago, people in Ireland fought for their freedom. The number of emails, phone calls and letters we have received about this issue is unbelievable. As my colleagues said, if there are exceptional circumstances, this can be revisited.

I was driving through Dublin last night and I passed a canal where people were sitting. While I was waiting at the traffic lights, people walked in front of my car, went behind a dustbin and urinated on the side of somebody's house. That was all because the Government closed the facilities.

I have seen people who have been locked up for the last two years nearly. Enough is enough. One must realise that people are responsible.

Regarding young people, I stood in this House a number of weeks ago when the Minister of State turned to us and said that a theory test was not essential. We have heard from people working on the harvest that their children could not help them at home to bring in the silage or to do other such farming necessities. However, the Minister of State said that a theory test was not essential. This goes back to what I have been saying, the Cabinet is too city based. Cabinet members are too used to having transport available to them when they walk outside their front door. I have invited Deputy Eamon Ryan to Limerick for one week. I can give him a place to stay and a bicycle. I will tell him to do his work from there and we will see whether he has an Internet connection. He can do his shopping. He can do my daily work in the way he wants to live, with the wolves running around the countryside. These are the thoughts he has. I have asked him, but he has not taken up my offer yet. I spoke to Deputy Leddin today and asked him to come out of Limerick city and go out to the countryside. I can give him the same things as the Minister and let them off. They have no concept of what it is like to live in a rural area.

One thing we have in rural areas is social distancing. We can see how responsible and respectful the people in the areas around our towns and villages are, but now they need to get out because of their mental health. We have heard about the churches. All of us here are sitting 2 m. apart and yet there are churches in Ireland bigger than this Chamber. The Government closed all the churches. My grandchild had to wait 11 months until he could be christened. It took 11 months. If it took any longer, he would have been able to walk up the church aisle and probably say the blessing himself. This is what we are coming to. There are people who cannot get out of their houses to go to mass because the Government is stopping them. In rural areas, one would be lucky to even have 50 people going to mass, but at least give them the choice. We are able to congregate here.

The media is not portraying anything outside of Dublin. Has the Government bought the media? Is it that media outlets do not want Covid-19 to go away because they will have nothing else to report on? I grew up with RTÉ in my house, Gay Byrne, Mike Murphy and Gerry Ryan, all of them.

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