Results 2,941-2,960 of 6,055 for speaker:Frank Feighan

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: I welcome the news from the CSO figures that Ireland's GDP has increased by 26.3%. I share the sentiments of Senators Walsh and McDowell that the Minister should come to the House to explain the figures exactly. I understand that much of the growth is attributed to multinationals and the aircraft leasing industry. However, it has been good news. Sometimes we do not get enough good news...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: I very much support this Bill. I am not from an academic background. I travelled around the world in the 1980s and worked in Australia and the US. My father spent most of his life in London. I am very proud, privileged and honoured to be a Member of the Seanad. Twenty years ago, I never thought that I would even be on Roscommon County Council or elected to the Dáil twice so I am...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: Yes, and David Norris. There were Senators from my area, such as John Connor-----

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: -----and many more. The one Senator that I remember was Sam McAughtry. I recognised him from his radio programmes. I knew that he was a trade unionist who hailed from an area called Tiger's Bay in Belfast and that he was on the first peace train. He was a Senator in 1996 and I had read his articles which were published in The Irish Times. I was not involved in politics at the time but...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: From 2002 to 2007, I used the Seanad to get elected to the Dáil and I did not give this House as much time as I should have done. I look forward to being an active Member of this Seanad and working with everybody to try to do what is best for society. We have been elected to advise on and revise Bills but we must also represent the people of middle Ireland, which is where I come from....

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: Sometimes it is the small things that trip one up. Mr. Joe O'Toole represented everything that was great about a Senator. He came from an academic background, he was secretary general of the INTO and brought a bit of cop-on in here. Better still, young fellas like myself who did not have confidence were made to feel confident because he showed us he was prepared to listen. The same goes...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: Today, 14 July, is Bastille Day, and I am sure colleagues will join me in wishing all our friends in France and French ex-pats around the world all the best. They have gone through a very difficult time in the past few years. It is time to highlight that Euro 2016 was a major success, perhaps not for the French football team in the final but for a lot of the participating nations,...

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: That would be very helpful.

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: Yes.

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: Senator Joe O'Reilly has five minutes.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: I second Senator Burke's amendment. I agree with Senator Ó Donnghaile's remarks regarding the Taoiseach's comments on a united Ireland. I think he used the word "unity", which I very much welcome. From my work in the last ten years on the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, I know the idea of a...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: I concur with Senator Lawless. It is wonderful to see one of our diaspora in the Chamber articulating the views of many millions of people whose voices have not been heard as much as they should have been. More members of the diaspora should be included under the Seanad reforms. Brexit has happened and is presenting major challenges, but a positive can be found in the large number of...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: I agree that we should set aside a few days for a debate on Brexit, which has probably led to one of the most difficult times we have known. It is no coincidence that the French President, François Mitterrand-----

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2016)

Frank Feighan: -----or, sorry, François Hollande has been here for three hours. Other member states must listen to Ireland's sensitivities regarding Northern Ireland, the free travel area and the common ties with the UK. I agree with Senator Ned O'Sullivan that the UK has made this decision and we have to look out for ourselves now. I suggest we should get much closer to countries like France...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (27 Sep 2016)

Frank Feighan: We have had some very positive developments in the past 30 years, including the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the Good Friday Agreement, the visit of the Queen to the Republic of Ireland and the visit of our President to the UK. I am very concerned about the current situation. The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly met Professor Michael Dougan, who is a professor of European Law at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Fiscal Implications for Northern Ireland of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (27 Sep 2016)

Frank Feighan: I am delighted to see the Minister, Mr. Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, here again. It was always a pleasure to meet him on the committee's trips to Belfast and Northern Ireland. Deputy Brendan Smith outlined that in 2012 we went to the Skainos centre in east Belfast as part of the PEACE programme. It was the most wonderful day when the Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland,...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Frank Feighan: Call in to see it.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Frank Feighan: It is busier and safer than ever before. If Senator Leyden called in and talked to consultants-----

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Frank Feighan: Even though I should not do so, I will respond to Senator Leyden's assertion that I should be ashamed of myself with regard to Roscommon County Hospital. I do not like to attack parties, but I have to say the Senator is absolutely right when he says that Fianna Fáil spent over €7 million putting in an accident and emergency department.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Frank Feighan: It was a bit like the film "Blazing Saddles" - they put in a facade but nothing inside.