Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I would like to share time with Senator Brennan. Having listened to the debate, it is evident that this is a greatly emotional subject. Many Senators who have spoken have had personal experience, directly and indirectly, of emigrants. I did not have to emigrate because four members of my family had already done so. They sent money back to my family to help us during those times. Such experience is typical throughout the country. It is particularly important, therefore, that we realise we have an obligation in this regard. When I spoke on this subject at a function in Manchester two weeks ago, I said there will be a scar on our national conscience if we do not act urgently and proactively on this matter. I continued by stating there is a specific moral obligation on the Government to respond properly in this case. I do not suggest that the obligation is a charitable one, as we need to repay the generosity we received from the people in question in the past.

Some speakers have painted an accurate picture of Ireland in the middle of the 20th century. Ireland was a deprived country in every sense of the word. We had none of the affluence we have at the moment. When opportunities came our way, we did not have the seed capital necessary to respond to them. When money was sent back to Ireland by emigrants, it was often used to establish small businesses and to sustain small shops, etc. That was the infrastructure of the time. Let us be fair and honest by saying that we would not enjoy the fruits of the Celtic tiger at present if it were not for those who went abroad.

Those who emigrated in the years gone by left this country because they had to go and because they wanted to go. They wanted to do something positive with their lives, so they took the opportunities that came their way in Britain, in particular, and in North America, to a certain extent. This often meant that they held down more than one job. There was never an opportunity to develop career prospects in the construction industry, for example, because workers had to follow the job. Wherever the job went, they had to go. Not only were they losing out on any opportunities they might have had at home, but they were also losing out on the chance to accumulate as much finance as possible to send home to Ireland.

I have been travelling to Britain for the past 35 years. I have been in every Irish centre and in every welfare centre on at least a dozen occasions in that time. I have had the privilege of meeting some of the finest open-hearted and generous people one could ever hope to meet. It is obvious they did not foresee the difficulties they would encounter in the future, but they were to find in their twilight years that they had no security as a consequence of unorthodox methods of payment, particularly in the construction sector. They often failed to interact with the agencies and organisations that could help them, perhaps because of their personal sense of pride. Voluntary organisations, such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and many others were often at the coalface at that time. Many of the organisations that comprise the Federation of Irish Societies looked out for their own people and tried to help. They remain an important conduit for such people, even more so than the official agencies.

I would like to mention a group of people who have often been denigrated and whose history has been revised mercilessly. I refer to priests and nuns in Britain who did outstanding work to help those about whom we speak. Our difficulty nowadays is that we do not have as many priests or nuns to offer assistance.

Before I conclude and allow Senator Brennan to contribute, I would like to say that I support Senator Finucane's suggestion that the funds from dormant accounts be used in this area. It would be worthwhile to contact the Government as a matter of urgency to state that we need money now. The people we are discussing will not be alive in another eight or ten years. The most important part of the work that needs to be done is to provide help on the ground. We need to connect with people in certain areas who are in contact with those who require help. I have said that we should be generous because we are not providing charity, but repaying the generosity that was given to us.