Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

I agree with Senator Brian Hayes that a memorial should be provided. We should remember the men of 1916 in the same way as the men who fought in the Great War. I am a member of the Connacht Rangers Association. More than 130 men from my town, which had a population of 2,500, were killed in the Great War and they must be remembered but, for too long, successive Governments, for reasons I can never explain, air-brushed their histories. These young men left as heroes and they fought for a united Ireland. As a result of what happened in 1916, they had to hide for many years when they returned from the war. We should grow up, as should the British Government.

I agree with Senator Mooney's call for the pardon of the 27 Irish soldiers. The British Government has not acted impartially on this because many senior officers were pardoned through patronage. The precedent has been set and pressure must be put on the British Government to ensure those men are pardoned.