Results 1-20 of 43 for pat speaker:Mary Lou McDonald

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Acknowledgement and Apology to the Families and to the Victims of the Stardust Tragedy: Statements (23 Apr 2024)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...the fire was caused by arson, still even then the Government refused to establish a new inquiry. Truth and justice were swept under the carpet. In 2017, following a review of new evidence compiled by the families, Mr. Justice Pat McCartan failed to recommend a new inquiry. After 36 years of fighting for truth and justice, no new inquiry was again the response of the State to people it...

Taoiseach a Ainmniú - Nomination of Taoiseach (9 Apr 2024)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...four years, the Government presents its choice for Taoiseach. For the third time, the Cabinet deckchairs are being rearranged. For the third time in four years, the members of the Government are patting each other on the back and telling the people what a great job they are doing. The narrative we hear today from the Government is a fairytale so outrageous that Hans Christian...

Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland and New Decade, New Approach: Statements (1 Feb 2022)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...those agents who shot dead five innocent people on the Ormeau Road 30 years ago this week, for those who carried out the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, for those British soldiers who in 1974 shot John Pat Cunningham in the back as he ran in fear from them and for those who murdered Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson. As we walked the roads of Derry in the January sunshine, members of the...

Ballymurphy Inquest: Statements (18 May 2021)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...Mullan, the parish priest, was shot while waving a white cloth as he ran to help another victim. Some of those who were killed were shot in the back. Some were shot as they crawled or crouched for safety. Pat McCarthy, the 11th victim not covered by the inquest, died of a heart attack, not after an altercation but after a para put an empty gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. These...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Taoiseach. His reiteration of the position of the Irish Government, the Irish State and the Houses of the Oireachtas that there must be a public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane is absolutely essential. I join the Taoiseach also in reiterating the fact that agreements entered into must be honoured and delivered on. As he rightly points out, at Weston Park and following...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (1 Dec 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: Last night the British Government announced that it will not hold a public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane. This has come as a devastating blow to the Finucane family. Pat's widow, Geraldine, and his three children, Michael, Catherine and John, have fought for three long decades for truth. They had hoped that this week the British Government would finally seize the opportunity to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Taoiseach for that. From day one, as he knows, the British Government has resisted revealing the truth on the killing of Pat Finucane. In 2012, his wife, Geraldine, said: At every turn, dead witnesses have been blamed and defunct agencies found wanting. Serving personnel and active state departments appear to have been excused. The dirt has been swept under the carpet...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (24 Nov 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I am sure the Taoiseach will agree that the courage and resilience shown by the family of Pat Finucane in their battle with the British state is inspirational. Pat Finucane was killed in February 1989 by a UDA death squad working in collusion with RUC special branch, the British Army's force reconnaissance unit and the British state. For three decades, like so many others, the family have...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Sep 2020)

Mary Lou McDonald: I take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the jockey Pat Smullen. His death has brought deep sadness to the horse-racing community and, indeed, far beyond that. As we all know, Pat fought his own battle with pancreatic cancer but he also raised more than €2.5 million for treatment and research into that disease. It is fair to say that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 Dec 2019)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...countless others as well. The Government has stepped behind the shadow of private developers and landlords. The Taoiseach comes into this Chamber and endlessly recites figures and statistics and pats himself, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and their partner in government Deputy Micheál Martin on the back. The Taoiseach is trying to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (17 Apr 2019)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...the region of €500 million. Despite the Taoiseach's attempt to skate around this yesterday by arguing that the plan had changed, the fact is that in 2012 the commitment made by the then Minister, Mr. Pat Rabbitte, as part of the Fine Gael-Labour coalition was to ensure the roll-out of high-speed broadband to every home and business throughout the State. That was the commitment -...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Mary Lou McDonald: On 12 February 1989, 30 years ago, Pat Finucane was shot 14 times in front of his wife, Geraldine, and their children as they sat down for Sunday lunch in their Belfast home. Pat was an intelligent man and a committed and dedicated solicitor. He defended his clients and exposed human and civil rights abuses in the North. Pat was highly effective and highly respected. He was very good at...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (27 Feb 2019)

Mary Lou McDonald: I thank the Taoiseach very much for that. I echo his sentiments as regards the honour of Pat Finucane and the effectiveness of his legal and human rights activism. Above all, we must acknowledge today the great dignity and resilience of Geraldine Finucane and her family. Incidentally, I do not know any single person who has met Geraldine Finucane who was not greatly impressed by her, as...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Urban Renewal Schemes (11 Jul 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...be commended, as indeed should those on the various working groups. Despite that, there is a mountain to climb. Let me demonstrate what I mean by that. The assistant Garda commissioner, Mr. Pat Leahy, revealed that more than 500 death threats have been issued to individuals across Dublin in recent years. Of the most serious of these threats, ten were made against persons in the north...

Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...about that radical transformation of policing, the new Garda Commissioner must have public confidence and that is what I am asking the Taoiseach about. Yesterday I raised with him the case of Pat Finucane. Many times we have raised incidents, not least the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, where British state collusion was writ large. The fact of collusion is well established and accepted...

Order of Business (26 Jun 2018)

Mary Lou McDonald: The programme for Government commits to supporting the establishment of a public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane almost 30 years ago. Today Pat's wife, Geraldine, and the Finucane family are in the British Supreme Court in an attempt to compel the British Government to fulfil its obligation to hold a public inquiry, as agreed at Weston Park in 2001. The Taoiseach may recall that in...

Leaders' Questions (4 Apr 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: Chief Superintendent Pat Leahy's position is not in question - Nóirín O Sullivan's position is in question.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Northern Ireland (8 Mar 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...this to be a reasonable expectation in a democratic society. On the issue of the legacy inquests, we welcomed the remarks by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, at the Pat Finucane lecture in which he urged the British Government to resource the legacy inquests and he backed the proposal of the Lord Chief Justice. This is essential. It would be...

Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Feb 2017)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...2015 the Government agreed to take the case of the hooded men back to the European Court of Human Rights. That was the right decision. Last night Channel 4 revealed that papers uncovered by the Pat Finucane Centre in Derry exposed at least four known cases of waterboarding by the British army and RUC. The Tánaiste is aware that waterboarding is an horrific method of torture which...

Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members] (5 Oct 2016)

Mary Lou McDonald: ...of this and we must accept that collectively. I take a very straightforward view when faced with a massive social dilemma and tragedy. I ask myself what the better option is. Do we need a pat repetition of "we need the delivery of A Vision for Change" and a big long list even though we need this list or do we resolve to start at the start? This is what our motion is proposing this...