Results 2,481-2,500 of 6,045 for speaker:Frank Feighan

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters (4 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: It is all right.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters (4 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: It is agreed.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Third Level Institutions (4 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I am delighted to see the Minister of State and that she is taking this Commencement matter. St. Angela’s College in Sligo is the only home economics college in the country and the need for capital funding for larger capacity classrooms-laboratories to accommodate students has never been greater. A national shortage of home economics teachers and a much more health conscious...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Third Level Institutions (4 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I thank the Minister of State for her reply. It is nice to hear that departmental officials have visited St. Angela's College on 15 March 2019. I look forward to seeing a proposal from St. Angela's College and NUI Galway to try to draw down funding for the best way to go forward. I think we are moving in a significantly positive direction. I again thank the Minister of State for her reply.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I join with my two colleagues from Mayo in talking about railways. It was remiss of me yesterday not to congratulate Mayo on their great victory last Sunday.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: It was great for the west of Ireland and it was great to see after 18 years that something is coming back. I will say that when Mayo last won division 1 of the league, Roscommon won the Connacht Championship so maybe it will be a good year for Roscommon as well.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: The west is best and that is the way it should be. I agree that we need to have a debate on railways and on the speed of same. Where I live in Boyle in Roscommon, it takes two and a half hours to get to Dublin. I had a Commencement matter last week to the effect that if we want to have an agreed Ireland, there must be a one hour train journey between Dublin and Belfast. It was mentioned...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I welcome the witnesses. Many of the questions I wanted to ask have been answered. I will come at this from a different point of view and broaden the discussion. I was involved in association football 30 years ago and it certainly was not well organised at a national level. I was one of those who was delighted when the Genesis report was brought in to radically overhaul the FAI governance...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: Mr. Treacy said that over the past decade the FAI has been audited by Sport Ireland's independent auditors on more occasions than any other sporting organisation. Is there a reason for that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: Sport Ireland is involved with different organisations, such as Sport New Zealand and Sport Scotland. When these problems happen, does Mr. Treacy lift the telephone to one of his counterparts to say there is a problem and ask it should be approached?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: We have always looked at FIFA and UEFA and corporate governance was not at the top of their agenda over the years. Is the FAI a symptom of that? Is it a kind of like a Goodfellas club around the world and is it the same with every organisation? Are there the same issues with world rugby? Perhaps Mr. Treacy could comment on UEFA and FIFA. Obviously, the new and emerging states in Europe...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I thank Mr. Treacy. It is shocking that 17 or 18 years after the publication of the Genesis report, independent board members have not been appointed. There is a story behind that which we should investigate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I understand that the FAI is on a journey of adopting the governance code, which I checked. Some 570 organisations, such as schools and organisations that are much smaller than the FAI, are able to secure accreditation and be compliant with the governance code. I find it hard to believe that a major organisation such as the FAI is still on that journey 17 years later. Is there a reason for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: On a lighter note, it is great that we heard of the Olympic Council of Ireland for the first time in a year and a half.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Funding Granted by Sport Ireland to the Football Association of Ireland and Related Matters: Discussion (3 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: I apologise - the Olympic Federation of Ireland. Any time we heard the organisation's name in the past was in controversial circumstances so it is nice to hear that things are going well for it. The FAI had a liquidity problem and occasional problems with finances. Is it the same in other federations, say, the Football Association of Wales or the Football Association in England? I know...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Apr 2019)

Frank Feighan: We are deeply frustrated at events in Westminster. Today, we have got great solidarity from Emmanuel Macron, who said he will never abandon Ireland or the Irish people, no matter what happens. This sends out a powerful signal to Brexiteers who think Europe will be divided. The Taoiseach rightly said that we are open to a credible plan from Westminster that has a clear purpose. The next...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (28 Mar 2019)

Frank Feighan: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Griffin for coming to the House. As always he is prompt and I appreciate his presence in the Chamber. There have been a number of plans and proposals for a high-speed rail service between Dublin and Belfast on both sides of the Border. The objective is that the journey time between Dublin and Belfast would be reduced to 90 minutes. The direct...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (28 Mar 2019)

Frank Feighan: I welcome the proposed national train control centre, which will allow for better management on the entire network, including the Belfast-Dublin line, and also the works being done around the Lurgan area, which, as the Minister of State said, will benefit the Dublin-Belfast line. I look forward to seeing the 2020 study being expedited as quickly as possible. As I said, however, I was in...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2019)

Frank Feighan: I am sure Members of the House will join me in sending our condolences to the family of the late John Browne. John Browne was nominated to this Seanad in 1983 and was a Deputy from 1989 to 2002. Any time I met him I found him to be a very decent man who imparted of his knowledge. His son Fergal was a colleague of mine in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007. Our sympathy and condolences go to his...

Seanad: Dealing with the Past in Northern Ireland: Statements (27 Mar 2019)

Frank Feighan: Unike Senator O'Sullivan, I grew up some 40 miles from the Border in Boyle, County Roscommon. One of the great days of my life was the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. I had just come back from Australia and Garrett FitzGerald was a hero of mine. The Anglo-Irish Agreement was not perfect. It failed to achieve reconciliation amongst the two communities and to stop political...