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

Social media is a great thing and if we look at it, we will see that more than 12 months ago I brought up that pre-Covid Dublin Airport had 31 million people going through it; Shannon had 1.8 million, with a capacity of 4.5 million; and Cork had 2.4 million, with a capacity of 5 million. I asked the Government at that time to disperse the traffic, which would have lowered emissions for people travelling to airports and would have made other airports sustainable. Did the Government listen? No.

The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, came to Limerick on a train and sent down the State car with his bicycle in the boot. That is what he does while he is talking about carbon emissions. He sends down a State car. He cycled down the main street of Limerick thinking he was a great man. I invited him to spend a week in a town or village in Limerick so he would understand what it is like to have no transport. He did not even have the respect to come in here today.

I have a message for the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I believe Fossetts Circus is going around the country to reintroduce the circus in Ireland. I reckon that with his CV, he would not even qualify to be a clown in that circus because of his lack of understanding of Ireland and the people of Ireland whom he is supposed to be representing. He does not understand transport in Ireland. The Minister should take up my offer to come to Limerick for a week. I will educate him - bicycle and all - and I will educate him on what it is like to live in a town or a village in rural Ireland with no transport.

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