Results 281-300 of 446 for speaker:Niall Blaney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Ireland's Future (Resumed) (15 Jun 2021)

Niall Blaney: I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentations. Following on from some of the comments I made on the previous occasion about the Good Friday Agreement, where we are on this island, the pathway that lies ahead for us and how we create that pathway, there is a lot of responsibility and onus on us all. In reference to this, the battle over many decades was with the British...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Ireland's Future (1 Jun 2021)

Niall Blaney: Senator O'Sullivan is substituting for Deputy Smith, who has had to leave for another meeting. I thank Mr. Murphy for his presentation and for the work his group are doing. They seem to have done considerable work in the recent years. I find the conversation interesting because we are on a similar pathway but we seem to have different concepts of how we get there. We have agreement that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Ireland's Future (1 Jun 2021)

Niall Blaney: Very much so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Ireland's Future (1 Jun 2021)

Niall Blaney: Senator McGreehan will contribute next.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Representatives of the Ballymurphy Families (25 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I extend a very warm welcome Mr. Teggart, Ms Quinn and Mr. Ó Muirigh. I am delighted to meet them, although nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. Perhaps we will make that happen at a later stage with your assistance, Chairman. I have to say that the campaign is one of bravery. I must agree with Mr. Maskey's comments about the dignity and respect with which the witnesses have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Representatives of the Ballymurphy Families (25 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I also have a proposal. Following the response from all parties and everybody at the meeting, we should first and foremost write through the Chair to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs opposing the amnesty the British Government currently has on the table. I also propose that he writes on our behalf to Boris Johnson outlining that the committee opposes any amnesty. Given...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: With the permission of the Cathaoirleach and the Minister, I will move briefly to another topic. I congratulate the FAI on its historic annual general meeting last night and on moving in line with the memorandum of understanding. I particularly congratulate the FAI on its appointment of Packie Bonner, a great Donegal man and a great ambassador for this country. I did not get the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach (Resumed) (18 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I will take the first few minutes and Deputy Brendan Smith will follow me. Ms O'Donoghue and Mr. Duffy are very welcome this morning. Ms O'Dongohue has given us a very good outline of the work being done by the shared island unit. I very much appreciate the work that is going on. As a young councillor in 2000, I started a campaign with my council colleagues in Donegal on the A5. It is...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I ask the Leader for a debate on the independence of our media. I am talking about all media across the whole island of Ireland, not just in the Republic. The lack of reporting with regard to what is happening in Derry is extraordinary. I refer to the situation whereby politicians are being stood down by a political party.The legacy of former deputy First Minister, the late Martin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Future of Ireland: Discussion (11 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: Deputy Smith is running a little late and Senator McGreehan is on the way as well. I extend a warm welcome to Reverend Karen and Mr. Lunn and thank them for their presentations. We have been calling for some time to have more unionists' voices at the table. The witnesses are very welcome here today. I am very interested in their approach and presentations. To take the comments made by...

Seanad: Good Friday Agreement: Motion (10 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I move: "That Seanad Éireann: - reaffirms its commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and requests the full implementation of all aspects of this international agreement; - requests that politicians North and South lead in a manner that is respectful and cognisant of the Good Friday Agreement which is built on respect, equality and partnership; - is committed to ensuring the...

Seanad: Good Friday Agreement: Motion (10 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I wish to share some of my time with Senator McGreehan.

Seanad: Good Friday Agreement: Motion (10 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: At the start of the debate, I omitted to welcome the Minister of State to the House. He is very welcome and I thank him for his very considered contribution. I thank all Members for what was a very good and open debate. I admit that it was particularly challenging for Senator Ó Donnghaile, but I appreciate how he takes it on the chin. I will return to his remarks in a moment. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: The Northern Ireland Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (4 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I thank the Chair for accommodating me. I was listening to the debate but I was not in a position to log on officially in Leinster House until now. This has been a very good debate and I welcome the witnesses. I listened with intent about Letterkenny, which is my neck of the woods, and the reference to collaboration with Derry. The heads of two educational institutions came before the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: The Northern Ireland Economy: Discussion (Resumed) (4 May 2021)

Niall Blaney: I have a remark to make. I appreciate the approach of Professor FitzGerald and his honesty but I fundamentally disagree with him about EU subvention. The EU subvention I was talking about would relate to those areas in Northern Ireland, particularly west of the River Bann and in small pockets of the more urban areas around Belfast, that have very poor educational outcomes. That is...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Apr 2021)

Niall Blaney: I am thoroughly enjoying the "GunPlot" podcast series dealing with the saga of the 1970 arms crisis. The third episode of the podcast was released this morning with five more to go and a documentary will air on television on Wednesday night. It is a pity we had to wait 50 years to have that level of investigative journalism, which has come in the wake of the release of Michael Heney's book...

Seanad: Post Office Network: Motion (26 Apr 2021)

Niall Blaney: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for taking the motion, which I formally second. I thank my colleague, Senator Dooley, for raising this issue today. I remember, when I was a small boy growing up in north Donegal on the Fanad Peninsula, there were nine post offices in an area roughly the size of the part of Dublin that is within the M50. We are now down to one. As...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
The Proposal Initiative: Discussion (14 Apr 2021)

Niall Blaney: I thank the witnesses for their presentations, which were somewhat different to those the committee has received in recent months regarding North-South relations and difficulties within the Six Counties. Their approach is quite light and refreshing. I am really interested in the witnesses' whole approach. I like it. With regard to the way we all need to start looking at the whole approach...