Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

An Act which has not yet been mentioned has considerable significance given the time of the year and the fact that many Members will go to Arbour Hill shortly. It is the Dublin Reconstruction (Emergency Provisions) Act 1916. The historical connection must be quite clear.

While the rationale for this Bill is obvious, many of us might have a little of Edmund Burke lurking inside as we wonder if we are doing away with curious pieces of history and whether it is sometimes better to let these things accumulate like layers of silt. In the final analysis, however, the head must rule the heart and we must bid farewell to these pieces of history.