Results 2,361-2,380 of 6,080 for speaker:Frank Feighan

Seanad: Report of Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Statements (6 Nov 2019)

Frank Feighan: I am somebody who grew up in business and employed more than 30 people many years ago long before I entered politics. I welcome this report and I congratulate Senator Ó Céidigh and all those involved in it. A lack of access to finance is a problem for small companies and we know cash flow is the lifeblood of many companies. I want to resolve one matter in particular. When the...

Seanad: Report of Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Statements (6 Nov 2019)

Frank Feighan: It was shoddy and lazy and I am glad local authorities are beginning to see these businesses were the lifeblood of the streets and they have lost that. I thank the Minister of State for letting me in to contribute. I could talk about this for 20 minutes but I am delighted to get in.

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (6 Nov 2019)

Frank Feighan: I welcome the Tánaiste and compliment him and his team on the great work they have done over the past three and a half years. Any time I visit Westminster and my British colleagues ask me what I think of Brexit, I always say we view Brexit as the British accidentally shooting themselves, but in our foot. It is a difficult situation. Somebody referred to the Minister for Education and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2019)

Frank Feighan: I welcome our new colleague, Senator Pippa Hackett. It is a great honour to come through the gates to either House of the Oireachtas. I pay tribute to her colleague who has gone to the European Parliament. She is hugely respected in all parties. I wish Senator Hackett all the best. I condemn outright the attack on the property of my colleague, Deputy Martin Kenny, last Sunday week. The...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2019)

Frank Feighan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2019)

Frank Feighan: I ask anybody with information to contact the Garda. There is a peaceful and respectful group in Ballinamore and I hope we come to a resolution to a very difficult situation. I condemn outright the attack on the property of our colleague and friend, Deputy Martin Kenny. I pay tribute to Gay Byrne. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, he was a light in a very dark era of our country. He...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I concur with Senator Marshall on that most wonderful book, Lost Lives: The stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. It is the best historical journalism that this country has ever seen. It shows that there are human stories behind the statistics. It is a book of remembrance and one that I have taken out of the Oireachtas Library many...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: It is worrying and disturbing to see Turkey attacking the Kurds in Syria. These Kurds of the Peshmerga and their forces did everything to quash ISIS and I cannot understand it. Maybe we should call the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House to ask him why this is happening. These forces, of both men and women, did a huge service in getting rid of the ISIS threat, but it seems...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: Senator Leyden rightly said that it might be time to look at a 24-hour blackout on information regarding Brexit. Yesterday, there was a controversial and disputed interpretation from Number 10 regarding the Johnson-Merkel talks that needed to be challenged. I believe the Tánaiste was right when he said that a no-deal Brexit would not be Ireland's choice or the choice of the EU but...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I agree with Senator McDowell. He called it right last week with regard to the Prime Minister's and the Conservative Party's intent on no deal. Today's leak of the telephone conversation between the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Angela Merkel was not in good faith. It is obvious now that the Conservative Government is intent on no deal. We joined the EU with our British friends in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Group and Port of Waterford Company: Chairpersons Designate (2 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I welcome the witnesses. They have all had their ups and downs. My first points are directed to Ms Hynes, chairperson designate of the Shannon Group. Its establishment in 2014 was very positive and I commend the work done there. I felt that the Shannon stopover which was eliminated a number of years ago was a drain on the rest of Ireland. It was the right decision by the then Government....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Group and Port of Waterford Company: Chairpersons Designate (2 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I congratulate Mr. Michael Cawley on his appointment as chairman of Fáilte Ireland. Did he attend this committee with Michael O'Leary before?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Group and Port of Waterford Company: Chairpersons Designate (2 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I will always remember the day Michael O’Leary was here. There were so many people offering to attack, I ended up actually sitting beside Michael O'Leary. After three hours he left but nobody had laid a glove on him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Group and Port of Waterford Company: Chairpersons Designate (2 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: It was one of those interesting days and fair play to him. I congratulate Fáilte Ireland on hitting 10 million visitors, the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. All these projects have made a huge difference. Coming from a constituency of Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Donegal, I see first-hand facilities such as the surfing school at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Group and Port of Waterford Company: Chairpersons Designate (2 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: Yes, Boda Borg.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: Last night, I watched with utter disbelief the leaks of the non-paper on replacing the backstop with customs posts along the Border. This is absolutely farcical and it simply would not work. A solution cannot be imposed on the island of Ireland unless the people on the island of Ireland are in agreement. I welcome that today Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, has distanced himself-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I understand that and I will speak during the debate. However, I felt this was very important-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: My apologies. I was not here when the Cathaoirleach made his ruling. I was not aware of it. I will move on to decentralisation. Senator Leyden is absolutely right that we need a new emphasis on decentralisation. We cannot just have decentralisation throughout the country while senior civil servants have to live in Dublin. Now is the time to have the political capital in Dublin and the...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (1 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: I also welcome the Minister of State. I will indulge myself by saying that at Westminster there is huge admiration among most MPs for the Minister of State, the Taoiseach, the Tanáiste, Deputy Simon Coveney, and my colleague, Senator Neale Richmond. As we have said in the House before, there is huge unity here among all parties that a key priority which is shared by our EU partners is...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (1 Oct 2019)

Frank Feighan: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.