Results 5,701-5,720 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I did not know the former Senator Farrell, but on behalf of the Labour Party I would like to express our sympathies to her husband and children. The former Senator was an exceptional person because, as Senator Hayes said, women were rare in politics in those days and female business people were even rarer. I knew Roscommon slightly in the middle to late 1960s. To set up a business there and...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I was half hoping Senator O'Toole would announce the initiation of a libel case against the author of a piece in The Irish Times who described him as "that reliable Government supporter".

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I had anticipated at least a libel case being taken as it is a grossly libellous description.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: We all do business with Governments, but some of us know what we do and do not support.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I benefit from Senator O'Toole's efforts as much as anybody else. I apologise, a Chathaoirligh. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that we devote the first two hours of today's business to a debate on the Government's decision to allow the use of Shannon Airport for the transit of US munitions to the Middle East. The country is in a state of confusion as to the public position on...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: The Leader is expert at many things.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: Yes.

Seanad: Development of Rugby: Motion. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: My views on the appropriateness of the motion were made known on the Order of Business, an issue to which I will return. If I thought this was an appropriate place to debate the matter, I would enthusiastically endorse much of what has been said. Perhaps as a coded way of talking about the overall neglect of Connacht and the west generally it has some appropriateness. I am a great believer in...

Seanad: Development of Rugby: Motion. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: Everyone is getting a bit sensitive. I have said what I have said and will say worse.

Seanad: Development of Rugby: Motion. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I recall one occasion having Senator Moylan, a most difficult Senator to provoke, in a state of agitation because of things I was saying. My comments on this matter are very mild by my standards. It is trivialising the Seanad to have a motion like this debated here. It suggests we are a side-show to a crisis in one sporting organisation. It is not what we should be doing with our time.

Seanad: Development of Rugby: Motion. (29 Jan 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I have every right to say it.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: On a serious note, there is widespread coverage in this morning's newspapers of a leaked document – apparently an internal Government briefing on the Northern Ireland situation. Without going into detail, it apparently says, among other things, that the IRA is still recruiting new members in Northern Ireland. I do not wish to make an unrealistic demand for a debate on this as I know the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I heard that, Senator, but I have heard worse from that side of the House. It is also the first time I have spoken on such an occasion in a leadership position. I join my colleagues in paying tribute to the staff of the House, whom I annoy with late amendments and a capacity to delay proceedings. They have an incredible spirit of public service, a concept one should never dismiss. The staff...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: —I am probably not as eloquent as I would otherwise be. In particular, I pay tribute to Mr. John McCabe. I am here so long that I have been in the Oireachtas for much of John's career. He epitomises a spirit of helpfulness and genuine good humour. On numerous occasions when the committee rooms were located in Kildare House, he rescued me from heading in the wrong direction to a committee...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Yes. Kildare House was a warren of confusing corridors. One could not hope to meet a more helpful person or a better model of public service. I wish him a long and happy retirement and hope he is as well rewarded as a consequence of Senator O'Toole's efforts as the Senator claims he will be. I wish you, a Chathaoirligh, a happy Christmas. I hope we have a long and peaceful Christmas holiday...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: We would have more interesting times.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I am far from infallible, particularly this morning. We raised a number of issues on this section last night and I do not wish to be repetitious, but the section and many of the arguments in defence of it are being dealt with in a different fashion. The section begins with the phrase: "Where a vehicle arrives in the State from a place other than Great Britain or Northern Ireland.". The...

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I was absent for a while, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, but no doubt you will remind me if I become repetitious. We have all received documentation this morning from Amnesty International, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and, most significantly, the Irish Refugee Council taking exception to the whole issue of carrier liability and pointing out that it has not achieved what it hoped it would...

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: The judgment of Ministers is a matter of concern and that judgment seems to be harsher under the present regime. This provision makes life more miserable for people whose lives are already miserable. It potentially criminalises large numbers of innocent people. I do not believe these checks will be operated with the rigour the Minister seeks. I do not recall any particularly thorough checks...

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (19 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: It is supposed to be legal here.