James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 6, line 12, in the first column, to delete "East" and substitute "Leinster".

This relates to the historical provinces in the country and the identifiable regions within the State. These were abandoned unnecessarily in favour of East, North-West and South constituencies. It may have been an oversight on the part of the boundary commission. The ceathair chúige and Meath have been recognised all over the world for centuries. Irish missionaries who went abroad always spoke about the provinces from which they came. As I said earlier, I visited Duisburg. St. Cillian, an Irish saint, founded that city in the eighth century. The plaque over his grave refers to St. Cillian, a native of County Cavan in the province of Ulster. That goes back several centuries.

The provinces should be maintained as far as possible. They are part of our heritage, history and culture. In ancient times each of the provinces had a king. I understand there were more than four provinces and the borders changed from time to time over the centuries, like the European constituencies. Each province had its own flag. Leinster was represented by the harp, Munster by three crowns, Connacht by the sword and we have heard time and time again about the red hand of Ulster. The three counties of Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan are often overshadowed by the Six Counties. However, the Minister of State keeps the flag flying for Donegal and is proud of his strong Ulster connections.

Reinstating the previously long established names would be the correct way to move forward. I compliment the commission on the fine job it has done. However, I believe it erred in removing long established names. Our identity is recognised all over Europe and the world and it is important that it be maintained. We have an opportunity today to correct this. The Minister of State should seriously consider the matter. I am a Nationalist and I am proud to have always recognised the four provinces of the State.

Clare, which is a county, should be given recognition because it has great heritage and culture. I have included it in my amendment because I believe it should be given recognition. It is natural for Irish people and visitors to identify with the provinces. I hope the Minister of State will not abandon our old Gaelic regions, such as Cúige Laighin, Cúige Mumhan, Cúige Connacht and Cúige Uladh. I would appreciate if he would accept the amendments. It will not make a great difference and it is important to maintain our heritage and culture. It should not be seen as a political issue. We are all proud of Ireland and the provinces. We should try to retain them as far as possible and we will have a unique identify within Europe.