Results 1,721-1,740 of 7,648 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Nov 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I support Senator Buttimer's request for a debate on the media and broadcasting. That would certainly be timely. There are two issues I would like to raise with the Leader. The first concerns the leaving certificate. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills is currently looking at the issue of leaving certificate reform. The development of syllabi is ongoing by the National...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I agree with what Senator Kyne has said. Perhaps Passport Express should be renamed "Passport stopping at all stations". I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for mentioning the mass for the late Sir David Amess today, to which people of all faiths and none are welcome. It is no harm at this point to thank all those who made this possible, including the British ambassador, who will address the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (20 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is a simple, one-issue Bill which deserves support from any Senator who has a genuine interest in solving the student accommodation crisis. It would prohibit, for 15 years, any application for the change of use of student accommodation to either residential accommodation or to a hostel, hotel or any other kind of tourist or short-let...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Codail, a laoich dar thugas grá, codail go sámh i m'bhánbhaclainn, tusa mo rogha fear Fáil, thatr rí na bhFiann is a chóir fairis - Codail, codail, a chúl na lúb, le faobhar na hoíche, codail, a rún. As Senator Ned O'Sullivan said, Máire Mhac an tSaoi - and Brendan Kennelly - represented the best of our tradition, writing and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Cuirim fáilte roimh ár n-aíonna agus gabhaim buíochas leo as a bheith linn. On that last point, I agree with Professor Hegarty there is certainly much more we can all be doing to try to generate a love of our first language in the country. We all understand incentives as well. Perhaps if a certain mastery of Irish were a requirement for progress within academic...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: It might be better to recommend it though rather than deprecate it at this point, to recommend it subject to resources and to those safeguards. One possible issue, which I am not sure if it is something being considered, would be that the academic year in that first year would begin in January. You literally spend the time in that first term facilitating the interview and the change-of-mind...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I am out of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Very good. There is some evidence that industry is not happy with the non-academic skills, for example, teamwork, problem-solving, work ethic and communications. A survey done by Accenture in February 2020 found that these skills were really lacking. Undergraduate programmes expect these skills to be acquired at home or in school. In many cases, students from disadvantaged backgrounds...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I will not say that politicians engage in a certain amount of that activity.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Like William Shatner.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: First, it was refreshing to hear a sincere difference of opinion because, in many ways, it brings up the reality that these issues are not simple and that we have to be able to put forward ideas that may or may not recommend themselves to each other. When listening to it, I was struck by the thought of the fanfare about people getting 600 points in the leaving certificate every year, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (19 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I would like to hear what Professor Hegarty has to say.

Seanad: Peat Harvesting: Statements (13 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: This will not do. The Minister of State and Senator Cummins sounded like they wanted to scream but they would not dare to do so. They are like two flight stewards who have discovered that the pilots are taking the flight to London and on to Paris and they want to shout and scream and tell us all they are crazy but they are afraid that they will panic the passengers. It is obvious that...

Seanad: Peat Harvesting: Statements (13 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I know that, but the Minister of State's tones are measured. Does it not want to make you scream? This is a bizarre, crazy and irrational situation. We need to hear the Minister of State say that. The old phrases about selling ice to Eskimos, sand to Arabs or bringing coal to Newcastle spring to mind. Importing peat to store it next to a bog would be laughable were it not so serious an...

Seanad: Peat Harvesting: Statements (13 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: You might as well throw in “grotesque” as well.

Seanad: British Government Legacy Proposals: Motion (13 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: I thought the Senator had said "national school" there.

Seanad: British Government Legacy Proposals: Motion (13 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Senator McDowell will lead. With the agreement of the House, we will share time.

Seanad: British Government Legacy Proposals: Motion (13 Oct 2021)

Rónán Mullen: Like the philosopher of old who heard the fine speech that went before, I think I should just tear up my notes. It is very hard to disagree with anything Senator McDowell has said. One of the things that makes me uncomfortable about hate crimes legislation, as is proposed, is that it in some way creates a hierarchy of victimhood, suggesting that some crimes are less serious than others and...