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

Ar dtús báire, táim sásta geallúint a thabhairt go leanfar ar aghaidh leis an reachtaíocht sin. Sula dtéimid isteach in aon rialtas eile, ba chóir don Teachta bheith cinnte nach mbeimid ar an taobh seo den Teach ag dul isteach i rialtas gan an gheallúint a bheith laistigh den chlár Rialtais nua go gcríochnófar an Bille seo agus é a chur i bhfeidhm. Mar aon leis sin, gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cuív as ucht an méid seirbhíse atá tugtha aige mar Theachta Dála agus mar Aire i rith na mblianta. Is Teachta Dála den scoth é an Teachta Ó Cuív agus ba Aire den scoth é chomh maith.

For the benefit of those not as proficient in Irish, I want to pay tribute to Deputy Ó Cuív for his outstanding parliamentary service to this country over quite a number of years and as a Minister. I have never come across a Minister, in particular a Minister for rural affairs - he was the champion of the creation of that Department – who could leverage funding from every other Department. He would inevitably come up with 2% of the eventual allocation of what he was looking for, but he always got it. Whether it was for a school on an island, a medical facility or whatever, he would always make a compelling case for it and I would suggest to Deputy Shanahan that perhaps he is a good role model in terms of leveraging from the system, working with Ministers and so on. He created an art form in terms of having that capacity.

I was in An Spidéal in Connemara the other day. One could feel the affection for Deputy Ó Cuív, the loyalty to him and the sense of the community being proud of who they elected to Dáil Éireann to represent them, go háirithe duine a bhfuil cumas na Gaeilge aige agus atá báúil do na Gaeltachtaí agus teanga na tíre.

See this speech in context