Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

This House can take a great deal of credit for that. One of the best things that happened was that all the political parties, possibly in an historic sense, signed a motion that we debated. No one was more proactive in his support than Senator Ryan for which I certainly give him credit. There will be a great deal of disappointment in the country if we are not successful. Having listened to the report on "Morning Ireland", it seems that a great deal of politics is obviously going on in the background. I wish the Taoiseach well.

The debate here was all positive, but it was also well understood that there would have to be a mixture of patience and enthusiasm. We will have to be patient with those not fortunate enough to have Irish and careful that it does not become a "them and us" issue or simply another linguistic preference. We must realise that in many ways we are talking about integrating general activities regarding English, Irish and other languages in Ireland and the EU. I therefore wish the Taoiseach well, and I hope that the unity that we have experienced not only in the Oireachtas but among the general public and the media, which surprised many people, will continue to prevail.