Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I understood earlier that the rest of the Senators who were offering to contribute were to be allowed five minutes each but I will be as brief as I can. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to the House.

I sat here for the duration of the debate and have really been touched by what people have had to say. I realised how brave we are to come into the House and say what has been said today. The members of the Rafferty family have said they are being intimidated. Every right-thinking person must believe them when they say that. In a democracy, such intimidation is indefensible and must be stopped. It is the duty of all citizens of this democratic Republic to renounced it an co-operate with the authorities in every way possible to stamp it out and defeat it.

Having listened to the debate, I noted that neither I nor anybody else present can say who carried out this terrible crime, the murder of Joseph Rafferty. It is only for the courts to determine. However, we as responsible citizens of this Republic should ensure that all co-operation is given to the Garda to help it bring the perpetrators of Joseph's murder to justice. The Minister referred in his speech to those who may remain silent out of a sense of loyalty, whether political or personal. If they remain silent for that reason, they have a false sense of loyalty. How right the Minister is. He also stated there are others who are simply too frightened to cross those involved. I can believe that also. It is therefore up to people such as us, elected Members of the Oireachtas, who are normal citizens going about our everyday lives, just like the members of the Rafferty family, to speak out. If we do not come into this House and speak out about Joseph Rafferty's murder, we are doing politics a great disservice.

In The Irish Times today I was interested to read a quotation from Councillor Garry Keegan which really caught me: "It's not a campaign to get at Sinn Féin or the IRA. It's a fight for justice and we're calling on Sinn Féin-IRA to hand over the people responsible." He is correct in that this is not a matter of political parties. This is an agreed cross-party motion being debated today and it is not a case of political parties having a go at Sinn Féin-IRA, as they would like us and the rest of the country to believe. We are citizens who happen to be elected Members of the Oireachtas and local government who are looking for justice for the Rafferty family, whose case is very similar to the case of the McCartney family.

Senator Jim Walsh stated in his contribution that members of Sinn Féin-IRA believed rightly or wrongly they have had a cause to fight for over the past 25 years, a fight to get the British army out of Northern Ireland. There are people in Sinn Féin-IRA, who have been described in this House as thugs and worse, who have no cause and never had a cause for which to fight. They are the people who callously took Joseph Rafferty's life. If there are fair-minded people in Sinn Féin-IRA, I ask them not to hide those responsible, the thugs who go under its banner, because they are not fighting for any cause and they have no regard for life. What was done to the Rafferty's lovely brother would not be done to an animal.

Nobody believes this was a sanctioned murder, as if it would make any difference whether a murder was sanctioned. I question how anyone can take life, whether that action is sanctioned or otherwise. This murder was carried out by persons with no regard for life. It is chilling for us all to think that those people are walking around today. I wish the family all the best in their campaign and assure them of the continued support of all Members of the House.